The Best Laid Plans (PHFR #11)

You know those trees I planted back in November?  Well, of the three I planted, only one is still living--the digdogs destroyed the two that I planted in the back yard.  I'm probably going to have to buy older trees if I want to plant them in the back yard--preferably at a size that the dogs can't chew up.  I actually thought that all three of them had died, since the one in my side yard didn't begin blooming and putting out leaves when all of the rest of the trees in the neighborhood did.

So, when I saw this, it made me incredibly

Happy

It is blooming and putting out leaves!!!

Pretty/Real

And, the pollen counts and weather have been cooperating lately, so I've been spending more time outside again.  Have I mentioned before that I love my deck?  I do, and I really want to replace it/spruce it up.  Eventually, I may see about extending the roof so that it is covered and I can sit outside when it is raining, but that is a project for another year. :-)  No one told me when I bought my house that I would perpetually have projects that I want to do on it.  Don't get me wrong. I love my house as is, but I keep looking at things and thinking, "this room would be better if..."  One of these days, I'm going to look around and say, "this house is perfect." At least I hope so!

I'm not sure the dogs like spending the afternoon/evening outside as much as I do.

Of course, having the dogs means that at least some of the things I want to change are because of them...See the scratch marks on the screen door?  At some point, I want to change the screen door and back door to a set that has a built in doggie door through both of them.  Then I don't have to play the "I want out. No, I want in. No, I want out" game that they play sometimes, and I don't have to worry about them when I leave for work.

Compost bin update:  

So, the inexpensive option is not going to work for me... The youngest digdogs figured out how to get into it, and had a grand old time playing in the leaves.  Once they were done, this is what it looked like:

This is actually about 2 weeks ago. They have since spread the leaves around the yard further through play.

So, I'm kind of back to square one, and will probably be buying some wood and power tools in order to build something that is dog proof.  I was really hoping that the cheap option would work, at least for a while! I saw some pictures of a 3 bin system, which look like they might be workable. They better be pretty big bins, though, as the leaves you see in this picture is only half of my front yard, and the front trees have since lost the last of their winter coat (what kind of tree keeps hold of its dead leaves until it grows new ones, anyway???), along with boatloads of what reminds me of the pollen stamens of non-bearing mulberry trees.

Funny

Taking pictures of the animals is always a bit tricky: 

Are they real, or are they Robo-dogs?!?!?

I love this picture except for the eyes--It shows that Ginger is finally warming up to Sassy, and that they could eventually become friends. I keep hoping, anyway. I have other pictures of them together under the table, which is Ginger's safe place, but they are either too dark, or Ginger looks incredibly sad and long-suffering.  

An example: 

See? dark AND sad.

But then they do crazy stuff like this:

I'm really a cat, mom! I promise!

Ginger usually does stunts like this when she feels like I'm spending too much time focusing on something other than her--in this case, it was my computer, as I was working on grading.  

And, when they are just being cute and sweet, it is often so fleeting that, once you get your camera, you've missed it.  I was lucky to catch Ginger cuddling with Bubba, though.

My roommate actually took the picture--I'm quilting in the background.

There is a reason why people should not allow me near gardens: I have the black thumb of death.  The newest proof:

These mini roses were really beautiful before Spring Break, I promise!!!

I thought that making sure it was nice and moist before leaving for spring break would be enough, but this is what I came back to. Thankfully, they weren't that expensive, and I was able to enjoy them while they lasted.  Since I've been here, I've bought 3 plants for my office, and only one is still living--my first orchid died over the summer because I over-watered it while I was working from home, and my current orchid is thriving here in my office.  I may need to give it away before I leave for the summer, or it may be doomed as well!


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Breaking the 180 barrier (PHFR#10)

Monday morning was the first time I have weighed under 180 lbs. in a really long time.  I was kind of expecting to not keep the weight off, since Sunday was one of those weird food days when you end up accidentally missing a meal or two.  Amazingly, I'm still under 180 lbs, for which I'm really thankful. It also makes me

Happy

177.8 lbs.  This dress is actually a little loose, and only another 5 lbs until my next stitch fix box!

I'm also really happy that I'm doing well at sticking with the GAPS diet.  I tried another new recipe this past weekend, and am glad I did: Parsnip Fries.  Of course, after I made them, I realized that it actually wasn't GAPS legal, so I'm thinking of trying this with carrots instead of parsnips as some point. As an added bonus, you can actually buy carrot sticks already cut up, so the prep time would be way shorter!

They got a little brown...but the ones that aren't burnt tasted really good!

I followed the recipe, but the fries ended up burning.  I'm wondering if the size of my oven has something to do with that--I have an apartment size stove, so the half-sheet pictured is the largest cookie sheet that will fit in my oven (there is less than a half inch left of space all the way around).  I'm wondering if having the sides of the oven so close to your baking dish make the cooking go quicker.  Or, maybe it is just that my knife skills aren't uniform enough.

Yep, this is my oven. Cute, isn't it?

I've about come to the conclusion that I really need to take some cooking classes so that I can be better at the prep part of cooking.  I have a pretty good handle on what spices and flavors go together, although I tend to be a little boring in that department, but uniform cutting and presentation are not my strong suit.

I'll never compete for one of those cooking shows, but I would like to make the process of cooking less tedious, and I think knowing some of the prep skills would be helpful.

Pretty

So, the evening of the Parsnip Fries, we bought a rotisserie chicken for dinner, and added some leftover butternut squash.  I have to say that the picture of dinner is definitely close to food porn.  I don't think I've ever been that good at taking a picture of dinner before. Maybe it is because I'm actually using my camera instead of the camera on my phone.

See the steam rising from dinner?

One of the other things I'm currently working on is adding more liquids to my diet--my real problem is that I don't particularly like drinking plain water.  This is why I usually resort to drinking carbonated or mineral water most of the time.  However, I'm also trying to economize on my grocery bill, so I've been looking for ways to do so.  Here is my solution:

Cucumbers!

I'm liking the taste, and, since I have the reusable aluminum bottles from when I worked at UTEP, I didn't have to make any kind of investment to create this solution.  I just have to be careful, because, when I drink from them in class, I'm incredibly tempted to crunch on the cucumbers while I'm teaching!

Funny

The weather has been BEAUTIFUL this last week, and it is fun to watch everything bloom.  In an effort to lower utility bills, we have been opening windows and turning on ceiling fans in an effort to refrain from turning on the A/C just yet.  The dogs are taking it in stride, although they will sometimes peer through the windows of the screen doors.  

Even though it is getting warmer, they are still vying for who gets to snooze on the quilt I'm working on, though.  I'm going to have to start another quilt immediately after this one is done in order for them to continue to have a place to sleep!

Ha-Ha, Bubba.  It is my turn!

Real

One of the side-effects of moving to central TX and all of the wonderful, glorious green is that I'm really struggling with allergies.  I've been told by both my dr. and several friends that this area is notorious for being bad for people with allergies--we are in the middle of a valley, so pollen blows in, but it doesn't really blow out.  Since coming back from Christmas in the desert, I have had 2 rounds of antibiotics for bronchitis, and I'm currently on steroids.  I'm really hoping that the steroids help...otherwise, I may have to do antibiotics as well.  

I'm thinking that opening windows is not the best way to economize.

I'm also starting to realize that, when you don't like fish and you can't do dairy, figuring out what to eat for Fridays in lent is a struggle....I did curried lentil soup last week, and will be making meatless split peas this week, but I'm running out of ideas for what to eat.  I have a feeling that at least part of my weekend will be used to look for some interesting vegetarian recipes.

Split peas soaking so that I can throw them in the crock-pot tomorrow.

Lastly, one of the easiest breakfasts on the GAPS diet is eggs: fried eggs, scrambled eggs, veggie frittatas, etc.  I may become an egg if I eat very many more of them!  So, today, I had a bowl of fresh strawberries for breakfast.  They tasted really good, but they didn't stick with me for very long.  I was already feeling hungry again by the time I had been at work for 30 minutes.  So, I'm going to need to think of something else to have for breakfast, or at least think of some sort of supplement to fresh fruit.

Any ideas are welcome!

Breakfast this morning.  I love the contrast of the blue with the red of the strawberries.

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Plateaus (PHFR#9)

I have been hovering at around 181 lbs. of late.  I know that some of it is that I've been eating outside my house more, which means I have less control over what I'm eating.  I also know that some of it has been that I've found several REALLY good recipes for GAPS friendly desserts, and I've been going a bit overboard with them.  (Chocolate mousse is made with Avocado, so it's a healthy breakfast, right?!?!?).  I actually made another batch this past weekend, and ended up with like 15 servings--this time around ended up with more a consistency of pudding, though. I ran out of room in my food processor to add all of the cocoa powder that the recipe called for--a triple recipe is a little much, but I didn't want to have to throw out avocados. Well, that, and I kind of added about a 1/3 more coconut milk than the recipe called for.  It still tastes good, and that is what matters.

One thing that this diet is forcing me to do is try out new recipes, and that makes me

Happy

I made some almond flour biscuits this weekend, too.

I was too busy working on my chocolate mousse to get these out before they got a little brown, but it is nice to have some sort of bread-type food available.  The biscuits are actually a bit sweet for my taste--I've always been a savory bread type of girl, and back when I could eat gluten, I would routinely half the amount of sugar asked for in a recipe.  I will likely do that the next time I make these, or maybe even eliminate it completely, since there is no yeast that needs feeding in these.  I also subbed apple cider vinegar for the lemon. 

Sunday was actually a huge baking day for me.  I also made some Cauliflower tortillas.  Based on what people said, and the amount of cauliflower I had (2 heads), I kind of modified this as well--it is somewhere between the above recipe and this one.  So, I used 6 eggs for the 2 heads, and added some Italian spices: garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and basil.  Next time I do this, I may try a mexican twist: cumin and cilantro, maybe.  Then I can make some tacos with it.

I brought the torillas for lunch. I plan to eat them with leftover spaghetti sauce, mostly because I need to find another subsitute for pasta than spaghetti squash.

I also made some chia seed pudding, in spite of the fact that I'm allergic to raw apples.  I just cooked the apples with the cinnamon and the coconut milk from the recipe, then mixed in the chia seeds, a little bit of honey (maybe a tablespoon for the whole batch), and some vanilla (1 tsp.).  I'm thinking that this would be good without the apples, or maybe with cooked pears instead.  I plan to do some experimenting to see what else tastes good.  

One serving of the chia seed pudding.  Next time, I peel the apples before cooking them.

On a side note, buying these little 4 ounce jars had to have been the best investment I've ever made. They make a perfect serving of sweet stuff.  They also make a perfect serving of fermented veggies for lunch at work.  

And, I especially bought some parsnips the last time I was at the store in order to try this recipe for parsnip fries.  I've been making fries out of green beans by baking them until crispy, but thought this might be a nice change.  I just haven't gotten around to it yet.  Maybe tomorrow as a celebration for the end of the week.

Funny

Lest you think that all I can think about is food, I have to share what happened this weekend when I turned on the sprinkler in my back yard for the first time ever.  

Take that, water spray!

I got you now!

Hey, get back here!!!

 Yep, Sassy decided that she needed to attack the water from the sprinkler. And, after she got tired, she would rest a bit and then go back and play some more.  I don't think I've ever seen a dog get so excited about a water sprinkler.

Ironically, it started raining the next day, so I could have dispensed from watering to begin with, but seeing how much Sassy loved the sprinkler was worth it.

My dogs are definitely spoiled: behold, their very own staircase.

I was getting concerned because Sassy is just short enough that she can't actually make it on my bed half the time she tries.  I cringe every time she tries and fails, because I'm worried that she will break or sprain a leg at some point.  Even so, I'd gotten a bit sick of picking her up every time she wants up at night (at ~25 lbs, she is also getting a bit heavy to lift when I'm already on the bed).  With my bed reaching waist height on me, it IS a pretty tall bed.  Now, Sassy just heads up the stairs when she wants to get on.  My back thanks her!!!

Pretty

So, I worked on two other projects this past weekend--getting some of the worst of the stains from the wood floors, and building a compost bin.

Before using goof-off in the entry-way

After.  I'm pretty impressed with the stuff, and will be buying more.

I just did a small part of the floor as a test, but really like how it got the old carpet glue up. I imagine it would get more of the paint up, if I were to scrub hard enough, too.  When I rent a sander and take off the old finishing later this month (I'm hoping to do so during spring break), it will mean having to use less sandpaper, since it won't be gummed up by the old glue.

What will become my compost bin...Now all I have to do is rake my front yard to fill it!

The bin isn't as pretty as I'd like, but it should be functional, and it will keep the dogs out of the compost, I hope.  I will post what it looks like once full. And, the actual compost will be nice to put around my 2 trees that survived to this point from November.  Unfortunately, Sassy dug up and tore up one of the 3 trees--the hazard of having over-active puppies!

Real

One of the things I love about living in central Texas is the variety of wildlife that isn't really around in the desert, where I have lived most of my life.  I have seen Blue Birds and Cardinals hanging out in the trees surrounding my property.  I've even thought about putting out a bird feeder, but have hesitated because of my fur-babies.  This is why:

I was able to help this little guy get out of the yard, but I'm not sure if I did so in time to save his life

This guy was on the ground on the inside of my back-yard fence, obviously injured.  Trying to keep the dogs away from him was virtually impossible--3 of our 4 dogs have at least a little bit of hunting or herding dog in them.  I was able to help him (her?) flutter over the fence away from the digdogs, and then I put out some sunflower seeds near him, but he had disappeared when I checked for him a couple of hours later.

While I really like my coloring picture a day calendar, I'm finding that leaving it at my office was maybe not the best idea I've ever had.  Because I have been trying to do all of my grading while at work instead of bringing it home, I'm finding that I have a whole lot less down time than I thought I would have.  Which means I've got a lot of pictures I really want to color laying around my office.

On the left, pictures I really like. On the right, pictures that don't do a whole lot for me, with Padre Pio looking over all of it.

If I can't color them myself, at least I can share the wealth.

So, I hit on a way to help keep my desk from getting too cluttered by pictures to color.  I'm letting students grab them to color themselves.  I wish I could color all of them, but it just isn't possible with all the other things I have to do.  

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Home Improvements for beginners (PHFR #8)

One of the things that I've started working on are some of the small projects that I've been wanting to do since I moved in, but have not taken the time to do.  Some of them are just time consuming, and some of them require both time and a bit of money.  So, I am using a portion of my tax return to begin knocking out a few of these.  It is kind of exciting to see how things are working out.  :-)

Pretty

Are you sure that there is room for you, mom?

I'm currently dog-sitting for my niece, and that means that I'm responsible for 4 rather than 2 dogs.  They get along really well, but it makes for a kind of crowded bed.  Most nights, one of the dogs decides that it is too crowded and sleeps in his/her own bed. I just find it a pretty sight that they like to sleep together.

My parish's Adoration Chapel

One of the things I have been doing since I moved here has been to commit to a slot for Adoration weekly.  It means planning my sleep time before and after in order to get enough sleep, but I find it totally worth it.  I love being able to spend time with Jesus in the middle of the night, and going is the highlight of my week.  

Even so, occasionally the person after me doesn't show up, and I end up losing 2 rather than one hour of sleep.  While I figure that I probably need the extra prayer time when it happens, one thing I have noticed is that my weight fluctuates more based on the amount of sleep I get than because of any other factor (at least as far as I can tell)--on nights that I get less than 7 hours of sleep, I can almost guarantee that my weight will be higher by a pound or more.  Weighing yourself daily leads to such interesting correlations!

Another side-effect that I'm noticing about getting less sleep is that I tend to have less will-power on those days when I have less sleep the night before.  It is amazing how much a lack of sleep effects me.

My desk in it's new home

I love that I now have a place to keep my desk where I can keep my sewing machine out for when I need it. Even though my desk has all of my writing stuff, I never use it to actually write at, so turning it into a sewing area is perfect. I've been putting my machine back in its original box whenever I'm not using it, but I'm really wanting to spend more time quilting this year. Having my machine out will hopefully motivate me to do more quilting--I really need to make bedspreads for both this room and my room.  I should probably think about upgrading to a better machine eventually, but this basic model will probably last me for a year or two....It probably isn't worth it to service the machine again more than once or twice, though.

Mysti-girl enjoying the new place for the bed and the sunlight from the window.

Without a roommate, I now have a spare bedroom, which is really nice.

Happy

The room from the back corner--don't mind the two skirts that are drying on the door.

Just as I thought it would, the love-seat works perfectly in this room.  Now, all I have to do is find something to put on the walls.  For sure, I need a Crucifix, but I'm not sure what else yet.  It will probably depend on what the eventual quilt for this room will look like.  

Last Saturday, I spent the whole day tearing out the carpet from this room.  As I suspected, there is a really nice, if badly stained, hard wood floor underneath. Removing the carpet wasn't actually the part that took so long--it was removing the tack board around the edges.  I spent all day using my hammer and a chisel to pry them up, and I'm pretty proud of my work!

Depending on whether I try to refinish it myself or if I get it professionally done, it is probably not going to happen until Summer sometime to resurface it.  I found a product called "Goof Off," though, and I'm going to see if I can get some of the worst stains out rather than having to sand all of them off. Part of me is really leaning toward doing the work myself, since I can do the floors one room at a time and finish it for about 1/10 of the price.  

The things holding me back are:

1.  Can I sand the floors evenly?
2. Will it look good when I'm done?

I'm seriously thinking about making the spare bedroom a test bed--if I can make it look good, then I know that I can do my bedroom and the living room, no problem.  If I can't then it isn't that much money wasted, and I can bring in a professional.  

Most of the room

The entryway.

 Another of my projects has been to get some shelves made for a built-in bookcase in my kitchen so that I can use it as a spice rack.  Earlier this week while I as at lowe's I found some really pretty wood, and had them cut the wood into the size I needed.  I had to check to see if it would work, so as soon as I got home, I put the shelves up, even though they aren't finished or sanded yet. The end result makes me very happy!

I have now switched the contents on the bottom and top shelves--having non-food items seemed safer on the shelf the dogs can reach.

Funny

This is what I saw when I woke up this morning.  At first, I thought, "Aaww, how cute!" Then Sassy stretched a little, and it was like she was trying to push Bubba put of the way. Now I'm just not sure.

I'm not sure whether they are cuddling, or if Sassy is trying to take up Bubba's space on the bed.

While I was pounding away on the floors, the animals pretty much avoided the noise like the plague. However, as soon as I was done and started putting the furniture in place, they became very curious. I'm not sure they knew what to make of this room without the yucky, stained carpet.

Mom, is it ok to get on the floor now? Are the "bang-bangs" done???

 This coming weekend means finishing the shelves for the spice rack, painting the patch on the wall in the Bathroom (I had it fixed right before Christmas, and just haven't gotten around to painting it--it is partially hidden by the toilet, so I just don't think of it that often), and trying the Goof-Off on the stains in the spare bedroom.  I never realized how much work owning a house can be!

My to-do list for this weekend

Real

In the process of moving my desk, I had to clear it off.  The smart thing to do would have been to take all of the stuff that had been on my desk and put it where they belonged. What did I do instead? Move it to the top of my dresser. In my defense, I was really tired after close to seven hours of tearing up tack-board...

Why clean when you can just move the stack somewhere else???

Battle Scars--proof that you survived!

And, while I was working on the Tack-board, I ended up somehow (I'm still not sure how) getting a nail stuck between my finger and the fingernail.  The nail actually ended up poking through the fingernail about midway.  It hurt like a booger, but really didn't bleed that much.  Now, I have a pretty bruise underneath my nail, even though it doesn't really hurt anymore.  I keep forgetting to call my Dr. and schedule a tetanus shot, but will try to do so later today.

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The Scourge of the Saggy Butt (PHFR #6)

Pretty

I've probably added this before, but I just love this picture of me with my sister.  It is such a joy to have a great family!

Happy

So, I was finally healthy enough to go back to Choir. While this is an older picture, the fact that we have choir practice in the choir loft (AND that we sing from there) is one of my favorite parts about being in it.  In the spring and fall, choir starts right around dusk, and that is when I shot this picture.  Every time I miss a few weeks, I'm reminded of how much I love singing when I return.  It is pure joy to be able have songs stuck in your head the rest of the evening.

My view from the choir loft.

Funny

So, I'm about 1/3 of the way through finishing a quilt for my niece, and it stays on the couch so that I can work on it while I'm watching TV.  Our dogs have decided that it is one of the most comfortable places to sleep, so they take turns on it...

My niece complains that she is the only one who hasn't used her quilt.

At work, my students have been tasked with making Memes to help my future students...This is one of my favorites.

Real

I was able to find a couch set for a steal, and all of us (including the dogs) loves them.  I still need to figure out how to cover/re-upholster them, but they work for now. Sassy actually likes the foot stool best, but she can be found on any of them regularly. In fact, her favorite thing to do when she doesn't want to go out is to jump on the couch and show me her belly.

How is it that I ended up with a white dog who loves to dig???

Nope. No room for you, mom!

In other news, I'm going to have to retire my skinny jeans.  I've lost just enough weight that the back of my jeans won't stay put.  After about 10 minutes, the butt part of my jeans are sagging about 6 inches underneath my actual butt--I rutch them, but they won't stay put.  As I walked back to my car after choir, I was thinking that the name "The scourge of the saggy butts" would make a neat name for a grunge band.  

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When the Going Gets Tough (PHFR #5)

So, I'm currently working on stage 4 of the intro diet, and I'm trying to accelerate the process so that I can be on full GAPS by the time I go to Kansas City for one of my nephew's wedding.  So, the add-ins are accelerating, and I'm afraid that I'm kind of mixing and matching the additions.  But, I am still trying to go as slow as I can.  No matter what, I'm going to switch to full GAPS when I get on the plane to Kansas City next Friday.  It is just too hard not to be on full GAPS while travelling. I may cycle back and do the intro again this summer.  We shall see how I feel, and how my gut is doing.

In the meantime, I've lost about 8 lbs. since starting the Intro. I suspect that it will slow down/stop now that I'm adding more foods, but it is still nice to see that at least some of the weight is coming off.  I've decided to do pictures for every 10 lbs I lose, so hopefully I can give you another picture of what I look like in a week or two.

Some observations about so far--one of the things that are recommended to help eliminate some of the die-off symptoms is a mixture of honey and ghee taken in small quantities over the course of the day.  As I look toward (hopefully) getting back into running, I'm thinking that this mixture will work really good as a goo substitute on long runs, especially if I add a bit of salt to it.  I just have to figure out what to put it in, as my 4 oz jars are a little heavy to put in my pockets during a run.

Now, on to PHFR (Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real through Like Mother, Like Daughter, in case you are wondering)

Pretty

The sun setting over some nearby open fields.

So, I've been walking every day with the puppies since we got back from Christmas, and this is what greeted me on one of those walks. Little Miss Sassy Pants is still learning not to pull on the leash, but we are all getting the hang of walking daily.  I'm finding that my feet do better in the evening than in the morning, so I've changed our time.  It has been really nice because I was able to run about 1/4 of a 2 mile walk earlier this week.  I'm hoping and praying that the trend continues.  It feels SOOOO good to run--my body has really missed it.

Happy

This is MUCH better than our old couch, Mom!

So, I was able to buy a new couch set from Craigslist about a week ago (for only $70, too!).  The dogs love it, and so do I!  It is incredibly comfortable, although I really don't think my living room is big enough for a couch, loveseat, and an ottoman.  I'm not thrilled with the upholstery, but it is very sturdy, and very comfortable, so I'm planning on getting some sort of couch cover for it in the near future.

Daisy enjoying the couch and the quilt
I am currently working on.

Space wise, It helps that I don't currently have a TV. That frees up some of the placement issues.  I will figure it out eventually, but I need to think on it some more.

















Funny

My lunch today: Fermented Ginger Carrots, 2 GAPS pancakes made from the linked recipe, and some Smucker's fruit and honey spread to put on the pancakes.  You can tell I was running late this morning because I didn't spread the jam on my pancakes before leaving home.

Now that I can make something other than soups, I'm working on making sure I bring my lunch every day.  It is less expensive, and it keeps me on track with GAPS. I does make for some weird combinations, though.

I have a full set of  4 mugs like this (purple, orange, blue, and red), and I lost the purple one during training this week.  Thankfully, a friend picked it up, and I will be getting it back.  I lost a mug last semester that I was really sad about. I need to put my name and office # on the bottom, I think.

I'm not the only forgetful one.

 While I'm forgetful of my mugs, my students keep forgetting their thumb drives in classrooms after giving their speeches.  I'm starting a collection of them here in my office.  I'm not sure what I will do with them if they don't get claimed.  Some of them are really nice, too.  If I remember right, both of these are 16 GB.















Real

With the start of the spring semester around the corner (only 5 days left!!!), I'm scrambling to get everything done that I need to.  Grades for my winter-mester course, cleaning up my office in preparation for the spring, and making copies of everything for the first week are at the top of my list.  The race to the beginning is going full tilt in my world.

Once I'm finished grading my mini-mester, I have to deal with this mess--all of the extra handouts from last semester. Filing is never a high priority until right before the next semester.

The animals are both much needed and sometimes unhelpful distractions.
I still love them to pieces.

The cats helping me grade. Candles and Tea make
everything more enjoyable.

Now, if only I could keep them from hurting themselves or the furniture.

I suspect this gash is the product of some rough-housing that got
a bit rougher than usual.  Sassy is on antibiotics, and I will never
know for sure, since it happened while I was at Mass.

The real reason I need slip-covers--dogs are hard on furniture. Sassy is the culprit for this, and it was the day after she had gotten a bath. I've resigned myself to never having a clean dog: she likes digging too much, and she is all white.