sick

I've been sick all week. It started on Monday with some sinus issues, then I got an ugly cough, and then a sore throat. By Friday, I made a doctor's appointment. The last time I went to see our GP was when I was pregnant with Lauren (again, sinus issues, about a month before all the wierd stuff with my eye).

At the doc's office, I had a temp of 101.9, and the doc thought it was strep throat, so she ordered a swab. I have a bad gag reflex, so that wasn't fun, but I got through it. But when the test came back negative, the doc wanted it done again (she really thought it was strep), so I got a different nurse, one who really jammed it into the back of my throat. Damn, it hurt. Luckily for her, I hadn't eaten all day, or I think I would have thrown up on her. That test came back negative too, but the doc still gave me a scrip for antibiotics and an expectorant.

So I stayed in my pajamas and watched TV and slept all weekend. Jeff was so awesome. He picked up groceries, and did everything for the kids, including getting them to church in time to plant flowers Sunday morning.

So how do I feel now, after three days of meds? Well, the fever is gone. But other than that, I feel about the same as I did in the middle last week. Barky cough, lots of phlegm, sore throat that I can feel in my ears when I swallow. I don't think I need an expectorant. I think I need a heavy duty antihistamine. I think all this garbage is thanks to sinus drainage (though my nose isn't runny or stuffy at all). My throat is raw from coughing, not strep. My mom suggested Chlortrimatron tabs, and I'll wait until I finish the prescribed meds, but then I'm going to jump on that.

McCall's 4359

Easiest dresses I've made so far. Lined bodices instead of facings, and no sleeves or gathers. Zippers still give me trouble, but I'd rather deal with that than buttonholes. There's a good chance I'll do this pattern again next year, and if I do, I'll make the sash double sided (the only thing I didn't like).

Originally, I wanted to make one of the more complicated views (chiffon overlay, pretty!), but couldn't find fabric that I thought went well together. Last weekend, I was really glad that I was doing the most basic version, since they went together amazingly quickly!

They got new shoes and cardigans from Grammy & Grandpa J., and baseball gloves in their baskets from my Dad & stepmom.

Quickie

Just a quick "hi" so everyone knows I didn't fall down a well or something.

We've been so busy lately, it's nuts. Sarah had a Brownie/Girl Scout overnight carnival last Friday (I got to go, too!), and then choir practice Sat, and both girls went to a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese on Sunday.

This week is being dominated by sewing Easter dresses. When I originally got the pattern, I really wanted to do one of the more complicated options, but now I'm glad I couldn't find coordinating fabric. Aside from the zippers, they should go together in a flash.

I also have to (FINALLY) take in my paperwork for the German class I started teaching, so I can get paid. We so need the money; I can't believe I've put it off so long. I like teaching German again, but I feel a little out of my depth sometimes.

As for my computer classes, that's just a mess. They still don't have the lab up and running (they moved to a different building), so there's no way of knowing if I'll be able to teach any time soon. I've complained about them so much for so long, but it's really hard to walk away from the money and the schedule that works so well for us.

Lauren is starting her Gym class today. We tried her in Sarah's baseball practice last week, but she just wasn't that interested. Almost all the kids were at least a few years older than she, and she really doesn't have the focus to practice hitting, catching, throwing. Sarah seemed to have a good time, though. Gym is more for smaller kids, with tag, follow the leader, and basic hand/eye coordination. Should be perfect for her, but now we have classes for the kids four days a week. That is right on the brink of being overscheduled, which I always said I wanted to avoid.

Oh, and we started cleaning out the basement. I'm finally ready to get rid of the baby stuff (except for the crib, because that converts to a toddler bed and then we can use the headboard when Lauren grows out of that), so we're in the process of getting it all up to the garage. The big question now is whether to donate it or have a garage sale. If I didn't have such a laundry list of projects that require $$$ staring at me, I'd happily donate it and take the tax credit. As it is, I'm willing to do some work to get a couple hundred bucks. Wish me luck!

A Little Good News, Please

I'm ready for a little turnaround in things. I'm kind of sick of:

• needing to call the plumber, and--$200 later--finding out that "someone" flushed a baby hairbrush
• having Sarah throw up five times since she got home last night (Jeff's parents babysat at their house while I was working)
• having Sarah refuse to eat either chicken broth or Jello, and having neither Pedialyte nor Gatorade in the house, so missy is both crabby and hungry
• learning that my neighbor needs some help getting a resume together (he didn't get fired, but his job is a bad situation, so I said I'd help with getting a resume together)
• my Dad being all stressed out about trying to get their house together to sell
• my mom needing four more chemo treatments (but they're planning to be here by the middle of June, yay!)

So, if anyone wants to leave comments, please tell me something funny or happy. I need it!

Cool!

Word Cloud, from http://www.snapshirts.com/index.php

The Go-To Girl

Yep, I'm the Get It Done Kid. My Dad and Sharon (stepmom) are putting their house on the market in May, so are trying to get rid of a lot of their stuff, including a painting, a lamp, and hunting rifles. So I said I'd see what I could find out about pricing and the best way to sell said things. I can understand not wanting to take it to a middle man (gun shop or antiques dealer), because then you won't get as much back. Since they're going to move into a condo, they're also getting rid of their lawn mower and snow blower. Problem is, I have no freaking idea how to go about finding the worth of any of these things. But I said I'd try.

Yesterday, my brother called. He essentially asked if I could go over to Ann Arbor (about a 45 minute drive) to pay his storage unit bill. He said they won't take a money order, so he UPS-ed me an envelope with $400 in it, and I'm going to take it over there. Once we get home, I'm making a Lazy Daisy cake for my dad's birthday. It's his fave from when he was a kid.

And since the bell just rang while I was writing this, I need to get going. More later!

Notes:

• Shish Tawook is broiled chicken with spices sauce, and a dill pickle wrapped in a fresh hot pita. The pickle sounds weird, but it's what makes it. And I don't even like dill pickles!
• I can't wait for the Project Runway finale tomorrow night, but I'm going to be really sad that it's over again. I'm hoping Top Chef will be good.
• I DVR my favorite X-files episodes. I never seem to watch any of our DVD's, but I'd die without the DVR.

Edited to delete rant and add link.

Thanks, Pez!

Four Jobs I've had in my Life:
1. Hotel Maid
2. Au Pair
3. Curriculum Development Specialist/Reading Instructor
4. Tutor
Four Movies I'd Watch Over and Over:
1. The Blues Brothers
2. The Fifth Element
3. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
4. The Princess Bride
Four Places I've Lived:
1. Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan
2. Hailey, Idaho
3. Zürich, Switzerland
4. Pocatello, Idaho
Four TV Shows I like to Watch
1. Project Runway
2. Veronica Mars
3. X-Files
4. Good Eats
Four Favourite Places I've been on Vacation:
1. Arosa, Switzerland
2. Cancun, Mexico
3. Diamond D Ranch, Idaho
4. Stratford, Ontario
Four Web Sites I Visit Daily
1. www.delphiforums.com
2. www.televisionwithoutpity.com
3. www.woot.com
4. www.jigzone.com
Four of my Favourite Foods:
1. Shish Tawook Sandwish and Fattoush Salad
2. Chocolate
3. Sesame Chicken and Potstickers
4. Chicken Pot Pie
Four places I'd rather be right now:
1. Cuddling in bed with hubby & kids
That's all I got for that--I'm glad I'm here.
Four People I feel sorry for because they're getting tagged: Snapper, Dawn, DMouse, EvilAmy

Motivation

I should really go clothes shopping more often. Before I walked in the store, I fully intended to get McDonald's on the way home. Once I'd spent about 30 seconds in the fitting room, that wasn't even an option.

Oatmeal for breakfast today, yum!

By the way, Lauren can stand on her snowboard, but I didn't want to get it out at the park when we last went for various reasons. Now, the snow is all gone, so I don't know when we'll be able to go again. Heh, we'll probably have blizzards all through March.

What NOT to Say

"Sarah, as soon as you get your schoolwork done, we'll go sledding!"

This guarantees that Sarah's mind will not be on the schoolwork, and she'll do a poor job.

Eh, we had fun anyway, and she can practice stuff this afternoon.

Grizzly Man

I recorded Grizzly Man off the Discovery Channel last time it was on (have I waxed rhapsodic over my love of the DVR recently?), and finally got around to watching it last night.

For the first half hour, I was really on edge every time he got too close to the bears. I felt myself tensing up and nervous about how close he was, and really couldn't believe it when he would go so far as to reach out and touch a bear.

One winter while I was in college, I went snowmobiling with my parents in Yellowstone. At one point, I stopped to take a picture of a bison. It just stood in the snow off the side of the road, while I fiddled with my camera. After I got the picture and drove off again, my stepmother stopped me and practically took my head off (which I deserved). In my eagerness to get a really good, close picture, I was too close, and was blocking its path back to the road. I could easily have been trampled if it had been so inclinded. It's nothing like a bear, but it was still dangerous.

I understand that Treadwell felt a spiritual connection with the bears. When Jeff asked me about it after the first half hour or so, I said, "He thinks he's Dian Fossey." Back in the 70's, there was a TV show called Grizzly Adams. Man, I loved that show. It absolutely captured my city-kid desire to be out of the city. Of course, fueling that fire were our summers spent in Idaho. I loved being in the mountains, where it was so quiet and clean and open. Yep, the classic pastoral fantasy. So I do understand Tim Treadwell's love of that place, and his passion for it.

But he crossed the line. I understand that he talked to schools about the bears, and did a lot to help protect them. But when he mentions studying them, I wondered what exactly he studied. All I saw was his emotional attachment to them. Maybe he did scientific studies, and those clips weren't shown. I'm sure they wouldn't have been very exciting, but I think it would have given more depth to the film.

A curator at a local museum mentioned how Treadwell did more harm than good, in that he "habituated the bears" to humans. There's a reason that the local native culture has a tradition of giving the bears their own space--it's respectful to the bears, as well as safer for the humans. Treadwell didn't seem to anthropomorphize the bears much, but I did get the sense that he looked on them as spiritual kin, in spite of his apparent realization that they could kill him.

I have to admit, I found it a little distracting that Werner Herzog's voice reminded me of Connor MacLeod. "There can be only one!"

In the end, Treadwell was a guy who lived on the edge. Like the people who climb Everest, he knew death was a real possibility. He took the risk, and for a long time, he survived. But he knew there were no guarantees, and in the end he paid that price.

I'm going to need a nap

Lauren has been doing really well at staying dry all night. This is largely because Jeff & I have been religious at making sure she goes to the bathroom right before bed. Last night, we forgot. Right after I got in bed, I realized that, and thought about waking her up to take her to the bathroom, but didn't. I should have known better.

She woke up at three, and Jeff got up to take her to the bathroom. The thing is, when Lauren wakes up wet, she's hysterical and crying. Always. So I gave Jeff the clean sheet and said, "Trade." I got her cleaned up and new pajamas on her, and let her come lay down with us.

But. Jeff was snoring, and she was kicking and rolling (not in her sleep), so I tucked her back in bed between 3:30 & 4, and came out to the computer. I got my Project Runway follow up done (Tim Gunn's blog and podcast, and all the bonus videos), started a load of laundry, and played a few online games. It's now almost 5:30, and I'm not really tired. But I know I need sleep, because I have a really busy day ahead.

Also, Sarah's been complaining of a sore throat, and my throat is a little sore as well. If we get colds, I hope they come and go quickly. Any recomendations for knocking this out?

Eye Roll - Just Have to Share

When the phone rang a few minutes ago, I answered even though no name came up on the caller ID. Usually I don't do that (never at night), but my work number comes up that way, so I answered.

It was some young kid, asking for my first name. "This is," thinking maybe is was one of the kids from Brownies or dance class, though why they would call, I've no idea. Then the kid said, making his voice "deeper," "This is the sex line. Do you want to come?" Now, that's so stupid, that I thought I must have been hearing wrong, so I said, "What?" The dumb kid actually repeated himself, so I asked for his mom. He mumbled something, but didn't hang up. So I said that maybe I should call back so I could talk to his mom, or "would it be better to talk to your dad?" Then he hung up.

Dang it, I wish just once I would have the presence of mind to talk like a phone sex operator, and really scare him off!!!

Potty Training

Before I get to the topic at hand, let me say that I picked Sarah up within 15 minutes of being called. (By the way, Pat, I laughed hardest at your comment!) She had fallen asleep at 5:30--from what I hear, it was the first time she'd stopped moving--and didn't wake up until I got there at 6, so I'm not sure she even realized that I was the worst mom at the Brownie Lock In.

So does anyone have any good ideas for a suck up/apology present for the Brownie Troop leader?

OK, on to the topic at hand. Lauren's potty training has gone so much better lately. Remember the major meltdown I had a few months ago? That was largely due to potty training frustration, though there was other stuff involved as well. But happily, there have been almost no daytime accidents in recent memory. The one notable exception was when she she tried to clean things up herself, but I'm not getting into that.

The stumbling block now is that she wets the bed at night. This has happened pretty much every night this week. Part of the problem is that when she wakes up in the middle of the night, we get her cleaned up, get the sheet off her bed, and let her get into bed with us rather than hassle with remaking the bed. Yeah, it's easier for us, but I don't think it's really helpful. So we now have an official policy that if she wets the bed, she has to sleep back in her own bed, but if she stays dry all night, she can come and cuddle with us in bed in the morning. We'll see how it goes. I just have to remember to set out clean pajamas, underwear, and sheets on her dresser before she goes to bed.

Worst. Mom. EVER.

%#*&!!!!!

Last night, I put the phone next to my bed, just in case Sarah needed to come home in the middle of the night. The phone rang, and when I answered it, it was her troop leader, "You gonna come get her?" Ohhhhhhhh, *%&#$^!!!!! Jeff and I both slept through the alarm. How does that happen? So I threw on clothes, raced to get her, and she was the last kid left. Out of 160 girls, she was the last one to be picked up. Well, there's more fodder for the therapist in 20 years . . .

Wow

It's been a long time since I've posted, so I guess this will be an overall, catch-up issue.

Addictive TV
Last year, I was a complete Lost junkie. This year, I still watch, but Project Runway is my obsession. Every Thursday morning, I check out the website to read Tim Gunn's blog and listen to his podcast. I think Santino is a jerk, Nick, Chloe and Daniel V are the best designers left, and Andrae has some good stuff in spite of the drama and the exaggerated expressions.

Homeschooling
I've got a new system now, where I plan out the whole week in advance, including links to anything I want on line, and print any worksheets. I still don't always get everything done that I plan for, but I do a lot better. I'm still in the beginning stages for next week. I always did love lesson planning. In a few months, I'm going to look for a way to have Sarah tested so that I can see where she is objectively.

My Mom
Her surgery is scheduled for February 9 (so much for her hopes that she could work through the heavy part of tax season!), and I'm going down to see her on the 22. We still haven't planned out who is going to take care of the girls, and we do need to do that, but we have plenty of help, so I'm not worried about it. Sarah, of course, started, "I'm going to miss you, Mom" the day after I bought my ticket.

Kidlets
Sarah loves Brownies. Tonight, she's at a Lock-In. They're going to "stay up all night, swimming and eating pizza and playing in the arcade and watching movies!!!" I get to pick her up at 5:30 tomorrow morning. I have a feeling she won't go to church, heh. She's also having a lot of fun in Tap and singing in the choir at church. We've also been walking around the neighborhood selling cookies. Good Lord, either we live in a ghost town, or people hide in the basement when they see us coming, because it seems like no one is ever home!

Lauren kept asking to pack her bag for the Lock-In tonight, too. She wasn't too upset when I reminded her that she isn't old enough yet, but I did have to repeat that four or five times. She loves Tap and choir, too, and I need to see if story time at the library has started up again yet.

Hobbies
I got to go scrapbooking last week, which was nice, but I realized that my style has "reverted" to what it used to be instead of the more intricate stuff I've done lately. I haven't taken many pictures yet, but I have got about half an hour on the camcorder. I desperately want the cable/software that will let me plug it straight into the computer and burn DVDs, but it's a little pricey. I'm going to clean a friend's house tomorrow, so maybe I'll get enough to feel justified in splurging.

OK, that's all the updates I can think of, and then some!

Christmas

So now that it's New Year's Eve, I guess I'll officially update on Christmas.


Christmas Eve we went to my parents' house. Lauren got lots of dressup clothes, which of course she loved. Sarah got a Light Bright box and a Barbie Karaoke Guitar, which she adores. Luckily, it has volume control. :D

I got to open my present before anyone else - a video camera, horay! As we were driving over to their house, I'd been thinking that I wanted to buy a camera after Christmas, and wondering how much it would cost. Perfect timing! Of course, my 18 year old cousin Danny had to figure out how to use it. I think we have about 10 minutes of film on that.

Christmas morning was at our house; pretty quick and quiet. Jeff's favorite present was the pennant I got him from the All Star Game. The 2004 Houston All Star Game, not this year's here in Detroit. Why would that be his favorite present? Why, because it means he gets to give me shit about being an airhead and not noticing that I got the wrong pennant for the rest of my life. It's the gift that keeps on giving!

By the way, it would appear that one of our Christmas traditions is that not only will the girls get new jammies on Christmas Eve, but that they will fit badly because I didn't check the measurements. Sarah's aren't too bad, but Lauren's in particular are far too long!

After going to church, we came home for a light lunch and quick nap, then off to Grammy & Grandpa's! More dressup clothes for Lauren (that's Grammy looking at her birthstone bracelet next to pink Tinkerbelle, and Aunt Andrea behind the purple feather girl), and Sarah got the Barbie Laptop she's been craving for so long. Lauren also got a scooter just like Sarah's, which she whizzed around on all night. Also, lots of clothes, so hopefully no more fighting with Sarah on Sunday mornings about what she's going to wear.




















The highlight of the night was that Jeff's brother Greg brought his guitar. The girls were all over him. Sarah had brought her pompoms, and Lauren really got into the cheerleading thing, which was hilarious. Greg has a nice voice - he sounds a lot like the Green Day song "Time of Your Life."


















Jeff and I also got a considerable bit of cash from his parents. There are so many things I'd like to do: upgrade my digital camera (something with more megapixels and more zoom), get the gingerbread cookie charm for my bracelet, get some new clothes, etc. But we decided that it's smarter to hold onto it and put it toward plants for the front of the house next spring. The new grass looks great, but we still don't have anything in front of the hosue, and it needs it, badly. We'll still spend some of it on fun stuff, but nothing too big.

I just realized that I got a lot more fun pictures of Lauren than of Sarah, so I'll throw in my most recent favorite of my big girl, getting a piggy back ride from Grandpa.

Candied Baklava

(I'll recap Christmas later)

Yesterday, I went over to my friend Jami's house (waving, 'cause I know she reads here) to learn to make baklava from her mom, who was visiting for a week. Mmmm, baklava. And this is Persian baklava. The baklava you get in bakeries is usually Greek baklava, which means it has walnuts & honey. Persian baklava uses almonds and sugar, and I think it has a more delicate flavor. I just found out that Lebanese baklava uses pistacios, and I might have to try that sometime. Although I knew the basics of how baklava works, it's nice to have someone to walk you through it the first time.

When I got there, we had to run out to the store to pick up more almonds and another pastry brush, since we made two pans simultaneously. Also, Jami needed a little breathing room from her mom, which I can totally understand. When we got back, we got down to business.

Each pan of baklava calls for a pound of melted butter. Start layering the phyllo sheets, with butter between each layer. I quickly forgot how many layers I'd put down, because of course I was constantly talking and not paying attention. Margey (Jami, how does your mom spell her name?) works with a charity that is building schools in Afganistan, and one of the fundraisers they did was an Afgani dinner. That is so the kind of fundraiser I could get behind! Luckily, baklava is forgiving of that kind of distraction.

After putting down 8 layers of phyllo, add ¼ of the filling. The filling is four cups of nuts and four cups of sugar. More phyllo, more filling, etc. Total of four layers of filling, five layers of phyllo. Then cut into squares or diamonds (the hardest part!), and bake for about 30 to 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown. While it's baking, make the syrup, which is a cup of water, two cups of sugar, a couple cinnamon sticks, and a tablespoon of lemon juice.

As she was copying the recipe (from this fabulous old cookbook called The Persian Kitchen), I noticed that she wrote down that the filling calls for TWO cups of sugar. Not four. Two. When I noticed, she said, "Oh, that's right," crossed out the 2 and wrote a 4. But then she went back to the book and realized that indeed, we should have used just two cups of sugar. Well, it was too late to do anything about it, so we decided to just wing it. Once it was done baking (it looked gorgeous!), we pulled it out and poured the hot syrup over it. Then we waited for it to cool. And waited. And waited.

While we were waiting, we snitched samples. The phyllo was wonderfully crisp, yet chewy due to the syrup. The filling was . . . um. Yeah. The filling was sweet. Really sweet. Hence the name "Candied Baklava." I'm going to cut a couple pieces for the kids and take the rest in to work today, and hopefully it'll all get eaten. I do plan to make baklava again, but I think that Candied Baklava is going to be retired. The story will certainly make it into my recipe book, though! ;D

Pity Party

Uuuuurgh.

I feel like crap.

My sinuses are all raw.

I had to pull the car over on the way to work so I could throw up.

Since my morning student didn't show up, I've been taking naps back here. It helps, but then I walk around and feel queasy again.

I really intended to go to the post office and run other errands, but it's not happening.

Bleagh.

Queen Kim the Productive

Yes, I saw Narnia last night; it was great!

My awesome wonderful parents had the girls for a sleepover last night, so I got to run errands this morning all by myself, which totally rocked!

I went to the mall for a present for Jeff and perfume for my SIL. Barnes & Nable for books for my Dad & my brother. Dollar Store for stocking stuffers. Grocery shopping (somehow, I lost a bag of groceries - d'oh!), too. Now I'm tired, but the house is a wreck, and I still have to make dinner. Once the kids are in bed, I'm up for some sewing.

The best things, though, are these: They're birthstone bracelets for my MIL, Sarah, Lauren, and stepmom. Sarah's birthstone is amethyst, and Lauren's is aquamarine. I realized, though, that since they're birthstone bracelets, I really should wait for their birthdays to give them to the girls. I so want to give them to them right away, though! I just hope they fit - I might try them on them while they sleep.

Hee

We went to the Rockettes last night, and had a lot of fun. One of the other moms from Sarah's tap class reserved a block of tickets, so in addition to getting the seats for half price, Sarah got to sit by one of her friends in dance class. I'm glad we got tickets for this instead of the Nutcracker, although that was a tradition when I was growing up and I really love it. But this was a little easier for little kids to get into (Lauren kept asking "Where's Santa?" every time he was off stage). Sarah said her favorite part was the living Nativity at the end. I was glad to see the show end on a non-commercial note.

As we were leaving, it was snowing, and had been for a while (which we'd expected--we have quite a bit of accumulation this morning). As the huge crowd was crowding toward the parking structure, a group of people behind us began singing, "let it snow, let it snow, let it snow." For me, that was the high point of the evening--people taking something that was an inconvenience and having fun with it. It got a laugh out of pretty much everyone else, as well.

As for that last entry, well . . . the beginning of the week was rough. And I still have too much to do, but I'm not stressing about it as much anymore, though I did add "blender and margarita mix" to my Christmas list). Thanks for the good wishes, everyone!