Project Life: Quotable

Walking home from the bus today, Scarlett said “God knits and makes the animals’ fur. And butterflies are how God paints. And God cooks with grass because it’s shaped like spaghetti.”

Project Life Roundup: Week of August 28-September 2

What a week! I’ve spent all summer in complete and total denial that I am overextended during the school year. I’m so overextended that I made up for it by spending my summer doing absolutely jack.

On Monday, the kids went back to school. Ted started middle school (sob!), Daisy entered 4th grade and Scarlett began 2nd grade. The Viv will start preschool Sept. 5 (double sob!). And actually, to add to this rather momentous year, Hubby started working at the high school, rather than the middle school.

(Some of us were less than ready for the first day here)

On Wednesday, I resumed my relentless meeting schedule (coming soon: a post in which I examine my schedule and life and see what’s going to give, because right now I feel like something has to).

On Thursday, Hubby and I went to our first middle school back to school night, which was an interesting experience for him, since he’s normally there as a teacher, not a parent.

Sunday was my grandmother’s 79th birthday. I haven’t been able to visit on her last couple of birthdays, so I made a point of going up to see her on this one. While we were there, we stopped by our state fair. My kids don’t really like rides and we weren’t able to get that line of credit for them to play games, so we checked out the animals and craft exhibits and enjoyed the food.

My favorite day of the year…

Nope. It’s not my birthday, New Year’s Eve, Fourth of July or Christmas (although, for the record, my favorite holidays are New Year’s Eve, Fourth of July and Christmas, in that order). It’s the start of college football season.

I’m not at first glance someone you’d think would be into football. First of all, I’m sort of a reserved nerd. I don’t scream (unless Notre Dame is scoring a touchdown) or cheer (see previous comment) or yell (unless Notre Dame got a bad call – in other words, a lot). I am quiet. I sit back and watch and take everything in. I like to read and watch the History Channel the rest of the year.

Secondly, I’m a bit of a girly girl. I love the color pink and having fresh polish on my toenails and wearing dresses (not very often, but I do. sometimes. Okay, fine, I love the idea of wearing dresses, even though I never wear them). I am not outdoorsy. I knit while I watch football.

Thirdly, I’m not athletic myself at all. Sure, I’ve become a runner in recent years, but I’m not competing against anyone. I don’t have the team sport competition gene. Neither does my son, unfortunately for him and his soccer coach.

So why am I so into college football? It all started when I was twelve and my mother was a crafter. She went to an annual craft fair that was held Thanksgiving weekend and since it was out of town over a holiday, the whole family went. Except there was NOTHING to do. So we hung out in the craft fair’s dining area, where they showed nothing but college football for two days straight. We went every year until I was eighteen, so those weekends were somehow enough to infuse my soul with the sound of a college football crowd.

You know I don’t even care who’s playing? I love the sound of the game so much that I will turn on any college football game. Sometimes you will even catch me turning on a pro game (although this is usually brought on by college football withdrawal in December and January), but it isn’t the same. The sounds, the uniforms, the overpaid jerks (not all of them are jerks of course, but the ones who are tend to get more attention) – NFL football just isn’t as much fun to watch.

So from September through December, if it’s Saturday (or Thursday and sometimes Friday night), you will find me parked on the couch, possibly pretending to do some household chore that can be done in front of a football game (laundry is perfect and I can stretch it for a few hours).