They're gone now: yay!!

Ah, back to school! Taking advantage of everyone being gone by cleaning the cupboard of expired condiments. The genesis of this project came about over the weekend when I opened a "new" bottle of worcestershire sauce and noted that it's expiration date passed by over a year. Yipes! How the heck did that happen?! I felt compelled to try it, and it was in fact flat, so today after Jason left, I dumped it. Then I combed the fridge and cabinets for other expired products. The oldest was from 2003 (guess I didn't like that tandoori paste...) Some are suspect, but had no date so I left them alone. I know that I will eventually buy a new one anyway, but... just couldn't toss it. Aside from the recycling bin already being full of empty condiment bottles (I'm up to 11), I don't think I'll be stir frying soon (I have 2 old, partially full bottles of sesame oil and one unopened bottle of "wok sauce").

I feel better now. Well, aside from the burn in my lungs and the sting in my eyes when I was rinsing the tabasco and chili paste jars I feel fine.

Struggling to climb back on the wagon. To that end I was looking at recipes. I'm ostensibly preparing a shopping list, including the now depleted condiments, but I have the feeling I'm just dragging my heels. 

I started on that auction quilt and it turns out that it's quite complicated. So apparently the jump from "beginner" to "intermediate" is less of a few steps and more of a gaping crevasse. Most of the pieces have to be cut from patterns (yeah, I just didn't read ahead far enough when I suggested the pattern to the quilt buyer--sigh), and even the most careful pining doesn't seem to reduce ripping out seams and starting over. I'm making one block to make sure it looks good and will work out before I cut the whole thing out, and I'm halfway done. Dragging feet... Maybe I'll clean the fridge first... I told the lady I'd be done with piecing this week, so I know I should go down there and face it. Quilting it will be a piece of cake after all this marking and cutting.

"I hate spring break!!"

Actually, those are my sentiments exactly, but it was Ethan who said that. We made the mistake of letting the kids watch TV on Monday morning, so by Tuesday they already were expecting to watch it. Yesterday, we got a full-body face down on the floor tantrum, and that's when Ethan made his statement. 

Not helping: I got some weird pinched nerve thing in my back over the weekend, and today's the first day I don't have any twinges, so Jason's been doing some entertaining, which also means yard work in our house (it's a give and take situation). The original plan was for Jason and Kyra to go off to south-eastern Oregon on a backpacking trip, but after he saw that pretty much all the best places were surrounded by snow, that was not an option. I guess Ethan would have been happier had that occurred because honestly I was planning on letting him watch all the TV he could stomach.

Still, I don't want them to expect TV constantly on days off. That tends to lead to expectations. If I am forced to pick a kid up who is not really sick, I will say no TV, just rest, but if they stay home sick and are all listless, then they do get TV. I know: weird policy, but there you go, and I was a kid, too, once...