"just put a candy cane in it"

It's already Tuesday and I am kinda failing at my resolutions BUT THEY'RE NOT EVEN A WEEK OLD.

wait.

I DIDN'T EVEN SHARE THEM WITH YOU YET.

argh.

Ok, because it's friiiiiiiiigiiiiiiiid outside, and because the temperature is most likely below 0 degrees, let's pretend it's January 1 and the year is new, shiny, and ready to hear my resolutions.

Mine are:

-to blog more consistently (for serious)
-be more mindful of what I say and do (and watch my attitude!)
-use my camera more (it's a nice one, i should use it!)
-read more Scripture
-run a 5K in under 30 minutes (because i get close, but never go under)

Ben's word of the year is renew, and his resolutions include:

-completing a Tough Mudder
-eating less cheese (actually, we both need to eat less dairy...but it's so delicious!)
-work on campus 3X a week
-set paper deadlines
-keep a positive attitude when job searching (ugh, me too)
-wake up earlier and with more enthusiasm (yes. yes. yes.)

Our family word is revive, which means 'to impart new vigor'

We want to resolve to:

~Be aware of what we eat and not mindlessly snack
~Work more cardio into our exercise routine
~Focus on US with weekly dates
~Study the Bible together
~Faff less!
~Plan for the future while enjoying the now

So there are all our resolutions and we're putting them out for all to see, so hold us accountable, world, ok?

Also, a side story.

I am a Pinterest girl, strong and hard. I have used many ideas I have pinned, especially with lesson planning, and think it's a great resource. But sometimes a pin pops up that just makes me shake my head with ridiculousness. The one that I saw this afternoon was a recipe for peppermint hot chocolate, with the fancy lettering and adorable picture that you know took multiple hours to style and fix so it looked just right.

When I clicked on the recipe, it was literally a recipe for plain hot chocolate that you stick a "peppermint stick" into and stir around to make it taste minty.

What.

Peppermint stick?

Just put a candy cane in it.

See you tomorrow (because my resolution tells me I should),

~A

Bringing in 2014 the Soltoff way

Let's not kid ourselves here. Anyone who reads this blog (hi Mom!) knows that we Soltoffs aren't really interested in sitting still, unless it's to watch The Wire, which we just juuuuuuuust became hooked on. I mostly like it because when I see Avon Barksdale I want to yell "STRONG SIDE" in an inspiring way.

So it's no surprise that we are headed into the New Year of 2014 in motion or as much in motion as possible. Ben and I actually got sick on New Year's Eve and after watching an afternoon Penguins game downtown, with plans to stay and enjoy festivities, we regrettably went home, crashed on the couch, and woke up at 11:49 to blearily watch the ball drop before pecking each other on the cheek (Ben: "Don't kiss me! You'll get me more sick!") and falling asleep. I'm serious. 12:07. We were out. 

It's a few days into the year 2014 and we've made some concrete Soltoff goals (I'll share them next week) as well as cleared out our Christmas paraphernalia to make room for the clean and organized January we hope to enjoy. 

I'll see you on Monday, but until then, here is my 2014 Word of the Year (which I decided to find after needing something to pull together my resolutions and revolutions)

thrive

(verb) grow or develop well; prosper; flourish

This year I am focusing on moving past surviving, and enjoying thriving in different aspects of my life, from exercising consistently to planning weekly dates and eating conscientiously. It's going to be a year where I flourish, and hopefully I can bring this blog out of the depths and use it as a documentation of the experiences our family has this year. 

Hooray for 2014. 

LET'S GO. 

Happy J.R.R. Tolkien Day (because how much more of a win can today be?)

Love, 

~A

P.S. Here is my family on Christmas Eve. I have no words for this picture except to say that the longer I look at it, the more I cry-laugh. It's a prefect representation of my family (including you Mom. You're either behind the camera snapping the picture, or you're moving so fast your blur is invisible!)

(and proof that we CAN be normal, just in case you needed to know)

Election Day 2013 (or why I go to the polls in an odd-year)

Hailing from the great Commonwealth of Virginia, I am well acquainted with the practice of holding important elections in odd-year. Virginia is a bit pretentious when it comes to our political practices, hence the fact that we are no mere state.

Sound familiar?

As is its practice, Virginia holds its elections for governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general in the year immediately following presidential elections. Had I still lived in Virginia, I'm sure I would have enjoyed the pleasure of enduring one of the most negative gubernatorial campaigns in recent history (if only Bill Bolling hadn't dropped out of the race). Alas, I do not. I will have to wait another year before deciding if Tom Corbett deserves another term in office (hint: no).

But that does not mean Pennsylvania doesn't have elections this year. We have very important races to decide, like Supreme Court judges (as I study judicial elections for a living, I will confidently assert that all the incumbents will win), county supervisor, and district attorney. And then there are the not-so-important candidates. Of the 11 municipal elections, only three actually had more than one candidate on the ballot.

Sir Auditor, the Not-Quite-So-Important-As-Sir-District-Attorney

As any good public citizen, I took some time last week to research the elections so I would be prepared to cast my vote. I was surprised to find several offices on my ballot which one would think don't need to be there. For instance, Pennsylvania still elects jury commissioners. While their purpose seems pretty clear (call people to jury duty), I don't understand why this needs to be an elected office. I'm sure our local jury commissioners were kept busy last year (we had a somewhat high-profile trial), but it also seems like this is a task easily performed by a computer: randomly select individuals from a list of eligible jurors and mail court summonses. In a rare instance of progressive government reforms, the legislature is actually abolishing the position (sort-of).

Whoa, let's not get too progressive

Perhaps a better example of silly offices on the ballot is auditor. According to PA law, each township must elect a board of auditors to, well, audit the township. Except that law also allows the township to hire professional CPAs to perform this task. Seems to me like this probably more efficient, since in some smaller townships it would be difficult to find enough qualified individuals with an interest in running for this position.

Ron Swanson would fire all government officials so there is no one to spend money

As it turns out, our township does exactly this. So great, that's some space on the ballot saved. Wait, we still have to vote for auditors? Yes! Well that seems silly. Does anybody even run? No! That must make for some fun write-in candidates. Why yes it does! Here's just a few of the candidates receiving votes since 2009:

Sidney Crosby, aka Sid the Kid, aka Cindy Crysby

Graham Spanier, former president of Penn State and promoter of "football" culture

He could audit my books any day

Someone wrote in "Republican." Does this mean we can use an elephant?

This guy

Sadly I did not start my campaign for auditor in time this year to have a good chance at winning, but I did give it my all coming up with some strong write-ins this year.

Magisterial District Judge JoePa

School Director Amanda Soltoff

Judge of Election. Shockingly Amanda and I both thought she'd make a great judge of elections, whatever that is.

Inspector of Election Sam Seaborn, aka Chris Trager, aka Hottie McHotterson

Amanda's selection was far more clever.

Inspector Clouseau would also have been acceptable

Really I could not understand the importance of voting in this election. As my colleagues are undoubtedly pestered about around this time of year,* isn't the probability of actually influencing the outcome of an election extremely unlikely? According to the utility hypothesis of R = (PB) - C, the probability of influencing the election is remote. But there are a wide range of benefits one attains through voting.

Instrumental benefits of voting

Expressive benefits of voting

Candy benefits of voting

If you haven't yet today, make sure you get out to the polls today (or don't, I really couldn't care less)!

~B

*This makes me wonder if political scientists are more or less likely to vote in elections than the general public. Clearly we are interested in politics more than the average citizen, yet we should also understand better that our votes don't really matter. And since individual voter participation is a public record, I could easily test these hypotheses. I smell a PS article.

Five on Friday - 11/1/2013

Where has the time gone?! It's already November, and, if you can believe it, I actually saw Christmas trees out at the grocery store yesterday when I popped in for some Halloween themed cookies. But this month is an awesome one, and I don't plan on rushing into the Christmas season at. all. Not when this month is Birthday Month (mine and one of my good friends' on the 9th, my brother's on the 10th), Turkey Bowl month (gotta get out the flyer, Dad!), and Thanksgiving (food...is there ever a reason not to be excited for food?)

So I'm sitting here in an oversized sweatshirt, letting my husband sleep in, and enjoying my warm mug of coffee while I think about the week. There were a whole bunch of great things that happened this week, so it'll be hard to pick my top five, but here goes!

1. Making caramel apples last weekend was great! We had so many toppings, and the caramel came together surprisingly easily. It was really fun to see how outrageous we could make them, and it was a much better experience than the candy apple fiasco we had a couple years ago. I guess this makes us a caramel apple family now. No to canceling the party and no to Twizzlers. We are a Red Vines family. (Name that show!)

2. On that same note...I'm pretty dang proud of my Ron Swanson pumpkin, even if his eye look enormous. I can just pretend that he is looking hungrily at all the bacon and eggs. And isn't Ben's cat cute? I think it looks like a bearcat or a werewolfcat or something crazy. 

3. I can't decide if I like this video or this one better. Both are cute, both might make you cry (the second one definitely got me choked up) and both are wonderful. 

4. I swear, I think my cat thinks she is a model sometimes. I mean, she just poses like this all the time...looking wistful or looking funny or looking pensive. I'm waiting for the day when she walks into the bathroom as I'm putting on my makeup and gives me a bunch of pointers. Actually, when is that happening? Can it be soon?

5. Finally...look at how amazing my mom is! She is the teacher on the right, and pretty much the best one I know! As a preschool teacher for many years, she always has a way to bring fun and learning into the classroom. We can't talk on the phone without bringing up one teaching idea or another, which inevitably lapses into hour -long conversations, one idea into the next. If you know her (maybe even if you don't), we probably agree that she is pretty dang fantastic! Yay for Moms!

Happy All Saints Day, Day of the Dead, etc., although if you have kids, Happy Candy Hangover Day (also Happy Parents Get To Eat All The Halloween Candy Day).

Love and leftover chocolate kisses, 

~A

things i like tuesday - 10/29/2013

...where I share things I really like RIGHT NOW!



1. Being short is super cool of course. Because I am short.



2. Oh my goodness these doughnuts. I need them in my life!



3. I painted my nails orange like this to get in the spirit of things.



4. Excellent list of ultimate things. Important things in life.



5. Here is the recipe for the caramel apples Ben and I made over the weekend. Pretty easy, and you can use whatever toppings you want (and I say, the more, the better!)



6. While we don't have quite as much space (or stuff) yet, I think this blog post has some great points about storage spaces, and how to utilize them in the best way possible.



7.

this. trailer. #jubileeforever

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Love and epic trailer music kisses, 

~A

P.S. #hanszimmerftw

potpourri, or everything we have been getting into lately

Weeeeeeee'rrrrrrreeeeee baaaaaaaaaaaacccccccckkkkkkkk!!!

Well. 

It's been awhile. 

So let me share some happenings from us Soltoffs. 

* Ben had an internship in DC during the summer, so I stayed in State College, cooking a lot, babysitting, and having lots of girl time with Ariel. 

*We became an aunt/uncle (!!) for the very first time. Ben's sister and brother-in-law had their first baby (a gorgeous, adorable little girl) in August, and she is too cute for words!!

*Ariel turned two and decided she likes plastic coils above all other toys. 

*I started my second year at Lock Haven and I'm getting ready to present my developing portfolio and go into my professional semester in the spring. 

*Ben officially became ABD. That means that he is knee-deep in his dissertation, working all the time on complex data sets that sometimes (to me) resemble plans to construct a space station. 

*I got a camera!! A really nice Canon Rebel t3i! We budgeted and I saved a lot before thoroughly researching all the pros and cons, then deciding on a Canon. The lens is the 50mm f/1.8 and it is so. much.fun. to take pictures, although I am still mostly taking them in the auto mode. But I'm learning and practicing so I'm not stuck there forever. 

So far this has been super newsy. Here are some thing we am currently into/have done/etc.

Foxes - They're kind of mainstream now, but the hippest 2 year old I know was into foxes last year and she just happened to tip me off on their coolness factor early this year. Since then they've only grown in awesomeness, until this happened: 

amazing.

Caramel apples - We made some this past weekend, and they were outrageous and delicious. Luckily for us, we had lots of family and friends to ship them away to so we wouldn't overload on sugar. 

Pumpkin picking - Kind of a no-brainer in October, but my mom and sister got to join us in going to an actual pumpkin patch! Of course, my mom and I spent half the time taking pictures of the evolution of a pumpkin from flower to gourd (teachable material!), but we all managed to get good pumpkins. And can we talk for a minute about how lovely my sister is growing up to be?...actually, let's not. I don't want to think about her growing up yet! (even though she is almost as tall as me, and can fit into my shoes already)

i love this guy a whole bunch.

We have also been watching hockey, making pumpkin bread, going to the Y regularly (gotta pump that iron!), watching The West Wing (broke my heart), making fun fall soups, going to baby showers (how can you not have fun at a couples "BaByQ" shower?), snuggling under blankets in thick socks and sweaters (the cool, crisp fall weather is here to stay in PA), and helping our kitty earn her first award as a winner in our apartment complex's pet costume contest!

 our champion, Troy Catamalu.

Get ready to hear a lot more about the humdrum boring exciting and fun Soltoffs as we happily jump into the holiday season - now we're just waiting for it to snow!

Love and sticky caramel kisses, 

~A

A Good Dog - Ode to a Westie

When I was in fourth grade, I became a little dog-crazy. "Please, please please can we have a dog?" I'd ask my mom, promising to clean up after it and train it and play with it all the time. I'd done my research and figured out that the perfect dog for us was a West Highland White Terrier. I even carried around a book I'd bought describing all the details about these white dogs famous for hunting small rodents in Scotland. 

One day at the grocery store, Westie book in hand (for a few months it seemed to be glued to my hand, probably so I could flip it open at a moment's notice to expound on the merits of the breed), I even came up with the perfect name. As I glanced at the candy bar rack in the checkout lane, I spied several candy bars. "Snickers...that might be a good name...OOH!" I spotted a white pack of Tic Tac mints. "Tic Tac would be the PERFECT name for a Westie!!"

Christmas morning several months later, my brother and I excitedly woke up and opened presents with our family. My dad seemed more tired than usual, but I figured he had been up late wrapping presents. Towards the end of the present-opening extravaganza, I heard a tiny yip form the laundry room. Grant and I bolted to the back of the house, where we found the cutest, tiniest, floppy-eared ball of white fur. 

...................................................................................................................................................................

Tic Tac joined our family over 17 years ago, and ever since, he's been a constant companion of the Bell household. Whether he was sprinting back and forth in the upstairs hall chasing a ball, practicing his tricks for treats, or flopping down next to you for a lick and a scratch, he never failed to involve himself in the daily goings-on in our lives. 

One day my dad had been working in the garage and my mom nicely prepared a lunch for him. Setting the ham and cheese sandwich on the table, she went out to the garage to get him. When they came back in they found Tic Tac walking away, licking his chops, with the two pieces of bread lying face down on the floor. The ham and cheese didn't even stand a chance. 

When my sister came along as a wonderful surprise, Tic Tac assumed his new job title as Protector-in-Chief, and would constantly be in her room or under her crib, never too far away from his new little sister. 

He and my brother always seemed to share a sense of calmness and wisdom. I believe that Grant and Tic Tac were true brothers at heart, always able to bring peace and quiet knowledge to the situation. 

I had a wonderful time training Tic Tac, and I still remember taking him to puppy preschool and learning all the commands that we would later practice at home. Tic Tac was the most patient dog; letting me dress him up in my doll clothes and wheel him around in my doll stroller. He was also a great source of comfort in my teen years when I had too much angst for the rest of the family to handle. He'd curl up on my bed and let me scratch his head while I vented my feelings to him. 

But more than anything, I think that Tic Tac belonged, forever and always, to my Mom. Technically, my name was on his owner and vet records, but everyone in the family knew that he was a true momma's boy. Many nights he would end up at my mom's feet on my parent's bed, curled up beside her. She was always the first one up in the mornings, and Tic Tac was right there with her. My mom loved him, calling him a "English gentleman" next to the "Cockney street rat" that was Toto. She loved his carrot of a tail and his soft eyes. And he loved her very much - you could tell in the way that he hopped up on the couch with her or assumed a protective guard stance near her chair. 

All this to say that Tic Tac truly was a good dog, a great comfort, and champion friend to our family, and our lives won't be the same without him. 

Steelers buddies

Wise ones

Always protective

JMU fan

Big brother

Toto's companion and best friend

Soft eyes

Our furry sibling

Always watching out for his little sis

Happy goofball

My little white Tic Tac

...................................................................................................................................................................


"Look, Pa. Look at Jack," Laura said. She bent and scratched his smooth head. The fine hairs were gray now. First his nose had been gray and then his jaws, and now even his ears were no longer brown. He leaned his hear against her and sighed.

...................................................................................................................................................................

Laura knelt down and hugged him as she used to do when she was a young girl. "Jack! Jack! We're going west! Don't you want to go west again, Jack?"


...................................................................................................................................................................

Now he only leaned against Laura and nudged his nose under her hand to ask her to pet him gently. She stroked his gray head and smoothed his ears, and she could feel how very tired he was. 

...................................................................................................................................................................

"I didn't mean it Jack," Laura told him. He understood: they had always understood each other. He had taken care of her when she was little, and he had helped her take care of Carrie when Carrie was the baby. Whenever Pa had gone away, Jack had always stayed with Laura to take care of her and the family. He was especially Laura's own dog. 

...................................................................................................................................................................

She stroked his head where the fine gray hairs were, and she thought of how good he had always been. She had always been safe from wolves or Indians because Jack was there. 

...................................................................................................................................................................

"Good Jack, good dog," she told him. He turned his head to touch her hand with the tip of his tongue. Then he let his nose sink onto his paws and he sighed and closed his eyes. He wanted to sleep now. 

...................................................................................................................................................................

They buried him on the low slope above the wheat field, by the path he used to run down so gaily when he was going with Laura to bring in the cows. Pa spread the earth over the box and made the mound smooth. 

...................................................................................................................................................................

"Don't cry, Laura," Pa said. "He has gone to the Happy Hunting Grounds."

"Truly, Pa?" Laura managed to ask.

""Good dogs have their reward, Laura," Pa told her. 

I love you Tic Tac. 

~A