Saturday, October 30, 2010

Things I just really didn't want to know

If I ever wondered how long it would take to cook all the meat in our freezer...now I know. A couple weeks ago we traveled. When we came back I discovered that I had not gotten the freezer door all the way closed (it was mostly closed...just not all the way). I had to throw out a bunch of stuff, but most of the meat was still refrigerator cold. So I was able to cook it and refreeze it (fruit is re-freezable, vegetables have to be thrown out).

The answer it that it took me 13 hours with four oven racks (we have double ovens) and an electric skillet.

The other thing I just really didn't want to know but now do know is what it feels like to be punched in the mouth.
I was tucking the boys in and they were being silly. Andy was hiding under his cover. As I bent down he came up full force. He's fine.... I am not sure about me.
No teeth came out, but I am not sure they are quite where they used to be. No answer from either of the emergency numbers at the dental office, but looking online I think I am able to wait until Monday morning.

I'm just hoping that there are no more lessons like that for me to learn.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Send good thoughts my way

This coming Monday I have my dissertation proposal defense.

It is one thing to turn in a paper to a professor for a class. It is a whole other thing to turn in something that you have lived, breathed, thought about, obsessed with for ten months or more.

My committee already has my first three chapters and will have read it (all almost 80 pages if you count references and the appendix). We meet on Monday for me to formally present it, for them to discuss it, and for them to decide if it is worthy and in good enough shape for me to proceed.

As much as I would like to have it over with early in the day...I was able to find a single 90 minute chunk of time in which 5 busy professors could get together. So it is at 2:30 in the afternoon.

If you are the praying sort... please send up prayers, not that it will be perfect, but that it will be good enough. Pray that I will not worry and fuss the morning away. That I will be calm and collected. That there will be few methodological changes necessary (if any), and that they will have positive suggestions for any other portions of the first three chapters.

If you are not the praying sort. Well, please at least send good thoughts my way.

Pumpkins are carved!

We carved the pumpkins today and it was... well, interesting.

Doug and Andy were unwilling to actually put their hands into the pumpkins. Josie cleaned out her pumpkin pretty much all on her own (which was good because she had a super small pumpkin and I do not think that I could have really gotten my hand down in there). Andy opted for drawing with a sharpie because his pumpkin was small and he didn't want to deal with pumpkin goo.

Doug's pumpkin must have been on its side in the field. It's bottom was entirely rounded. I ended up carving it upside-down because it couldn't sit on its bottom and he didn't want it to sit on its side. Initially he didn't understand the having to cut out a chunk so that light could shine through. I had him draw his face on a piece of paper and he was very upset for the first half of the carving because he thought his straight line meant a single cut and I was making skinny rectangles. Eventually he understood and was much happier. His pumpkin was supposed to be scary so it has mad eyes and horns.

For Josie I carved the smallest pumpkin I have ever carved. Her's is happy and might barely fit a tea candle inside. She even wanted laugh lines at the corners of the mouth... I did my best. She was pretty traditional with diamond eyes, a narrow triangle nose, and a big toothless grin.

Monday, October 25, 2010

A delight from my childhood

It has off and on been driving me crazy. There is a book series about a little witch and I could not remember the name. I remember her fondly from my childhood.

So last week I posted on a social network a short description ...and like that, in a matter of minutes, friends had found the title and were remembering it fondly also.

The series is by Patricia Coombs. It is the Dorrie the Little Witch series.
My public library was not much help. They had two books listed, but one was listed without any shelving information and the other was listed as being there but I could not find it (and did not have time to query the librarian).
HOWEVER! The curriculum library on campus has six of the books! WOOOHOO

I checked out three and the kids and I have been enjoying them.
Sadly, the stamps at the front of the book show that the last time anyone has checked out the books are in 2003 and 2004.
I know good new books are being written. But I am strangely traditional and sentimental about picture books. I am absolutely delighted to have introduced my own children to Dorrie.

I've had better....

My birthday reminded me of a certain Christmas that started out badly. Yep, I puked.
I suppose it was only a matter of time before I caught what the kids had. I guess I can be grateful that it was on a weekend so Jim was home. He really took care of everything because I spent almost the entire day in bed or laying somewhere.
The kids and I finally dug in to my cake tonight at dinner.

Hopefully this yuck has finally run through everyone. I think Josie had it (it is a little unclear...). Doug was mostly sick over the weekend and then some recovery today. Andy is definitely clear of it. Hopefully Jim either had it last weekend when Andy had it...or he wasn't around enough to catch it.
So hopefully I have not grossed anyone out too much.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Sick children

I hate illnesses with mixed symptoms. Vomiting without a fever....vomiting 2 hours after eating (there goes the...If you keep this down for 20 minutes we'll let you have a little more).
Andy has been sick. He has not been acting like he is sick except for the vomiting. I even tried to make him stay in bed and rest (which worked for all of about 20 minutes). I set up the baby-monitor so that he could let me know if he needed anything. He thought that was really cool. What was the first thing I heard come across the baby monitor....

(In a small little voice)- Mommy...I'm lonely.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

More from the girl....

If you ask Josie how old she is....she can't tell you. I do not know if it is a lack of confidence in her answer or if she just doesn't know.
However, sometimes I have to wonder where she hears certain phrases.
We went through a period where if she did something and you thanked her she would say, "It was my pleasure."

Last night the kids were getting ready for bed and she held out her toothbrush for me to put the toothpaste on. She said, "You may do the honors."

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

The girl with the huge vocabulary

I think Josie has a pretty big vocabulary for a three year old...however sometimes things don't come out quite right. For some reason she over substitutes the "re-" prefix.
Examples include that she "retacks" something instead of attacks. I just asked her how preschool was today and she said, "I didn't go as well as I respected it to."

Sunday, October 3, 2010

New haircut



Andy has been growing his hair for a little bit in hopes of getting a flattop. I can handle basic things with the razor but a flattop is not in my skill set so we went to a barber on Friday afternoon and got it done.
I was so used to his hair being super short I had not realized just how thick it was until we had grown it out some. I also realized as I watched the barber work on it, that it would be me styling his hair. I don't know if we will "do" it every day...but I did get it reasonably styled on Sunday morning. Hopefully with practice I'll get better and perhaps he will be able to start styling it too.

Now it just remains to be seen what Doug will do...he was originally the one who wanted a flattop (to look like a Star Wars clone trooper) but his hair was not long enough yet and he is going back and forth about a flattop versus virtually bald (to look like one of the clone commanders).