Okay, no photo this time. We all know what flowering broccoli looks like. Why would I let a really nice group of broccoli plants go to seed? Because there were bugs in the broccoli.

I have to confess, I knew that there were bugs in the broccoli. Whatever it was, it was very small, it was deep in the inner most part of the broccoli flower. I washed it. Really well. With the sprayer. I put it in the refrigerator (sometimes creatures will emerge from the cold). Then I chopped it up, cooked it and feed it to the kids. My son ate it like it was good. No comments. No complaints. And he is a picky eater. My daughter noticed. I tried to pass these small things off as broccoli flowers, but she didn’t buy it. However, she did eat it. So did I.

That is why the broccoli was left to bolt, because of my guilt. What kind of mother would knowingly feed her kids bugs/bug eggs?

So, I will ask you, generous readers, what kind of creature could have laid eggs in my broccoli (my guess is that we were eating eggs)? And how does one prevent this? I still have the plants and can take a deeper look if you need more information.

Sometimes it really costs to work as a free-lancer. At times you have all of the freedom in the world, but no pay check coming in. I have not had a training class since May and there is nothing on the calendar for the fall. Most of my classes are arranged at least 4 weeks in advance so August is definitely empty.

Before you think I am crazy to do this, I should explain that I make as much in one week’s time as many people do in a month. Plus I really enjoy the work. It doesn’t feel like work, it is a joy. I don’t know many people that can say that about their work. It is such a departure from my everyday life. When I work, I get to dress up in business clothes, go to the airport (usually) and fly away. When I am home, I wear mom clothes and drive kids to and fro. I have been doing this since 1999.

But when the world shifted in 2005 and The Kid’s Dad (TKD) was asked to leave the home, making a solid income became very important. I have custody of the kids and we live in the “family home” which I pay the mortgage on and maintain. Yikes! That anxiety that I feel on a daily basis is real. So, I started to sub for the local school district as an aide in between my classes. The only problem is that school is out for the summer and a paycheck for subbing won’t be arriving until about November. It seems that no one needs a sub until October.

What to do? I took a close look at my finances and decided that I could last until October. If there are no classes on the calendar by then (and a class can be on the calendar for January and I would be ecstatic), I will have to go back to working a real job. Probably a full time aide at an elementary school. That would keep me on the kid’s schedule. Doesn’t pay great, but the hours work and it would be steady income.

And then there is the unpaid work. This is what me and the kids worked on last weekend. We ended up with fourteen 39 gallon trash bags of hedge trimmings. I have to do this every year or the hedge will push the fence down.

I have taken to reading a number of blogs and thought I should try it before my kids know more that I do. However I find that it is more than a little scary to put yourself out there. My heart is pounding and my palms are sweating. I can always delete this stuff, right? And there is always the chance that no one will be interested.

Most of the blogs that I read have to do with sewing and quilting. People post the most amazing pictures and tutorials. I have learned so much that I thought it would be fun to share some of my projects. My mom started teaching me to sew when I was 6 and I have been making things ever since. My mom was very talented at both sewing and quilting, I did not inherit the talent, but I try. I also work in the yard (not gardening mind you, but work in the yard), and I like to read and cook.

As to the other 80% of my life, I live in a small town in Western Washington. We moved here 13 years ago and it still takes my breath way. I have two kids, a 13 year old daughter, S, and a 9 year old boy, K. My spouse and I are separated. We have lived apart for over two years and I don’t currently see a way back. My focus has always been on being there for my kids, so I have an interesting work life as what I call a “free lancer”. I am a trainer for a software company and travel around the US and Canada conducting technical training classes (I am a chemist by training, but the classes are about data analysis), I also substitute as an aide during the school year and I have been selling kitchen tools for a direct sales company for the last 5 years. Throw in some baby sitting, and sewing for a fee, and we get by.

I do want to add a photo to this entry. So here is a plant called Million Bells. I think it is happy. Next time I will post some of my sewing projects.