So, I’m sitting today in my sister’s living room watching her son in his bouncy seat while the dog is crashed on the floor.  Today is the first day of my baby-sitting stint (Eric called me Supernanny on his way to work), helping Karen out for the last few weeks of school.  I’ll be watching J for three and a half weeks, and Erik’s mom will be watching him for the last week of school.  We will be on vacation that week.

So far, nothing terribly exciting has happened.  I’ve played some with the dog, talked with the baby some, and I’m pretty much just waiting for him to want to eat (which should be very soon).  He’s already getting just a little fussy, I think.  Karen left me a list of things “to know”; we shall see how it goes…

Yesterday, I got a number of things done.  I hung up another birdfeeder and filled both of them. 

_______

Okay, now it’s 9:40, and I’m just getting back to Xanga.  That’s life with a baby’s schedule, I guess!

Anyway, back to yesterday…I also did laundry and a number of little projects that I’ve just wanted to do for a while.  And I went to Meijer briefly.  In the evening, Eric and I ran to Target to get a Mother’s Day card for his mom, and we picked up a couple of other things as well.  Then home to watch some TV and then to bed.

Well…that’s all I’ve got.  And I think Maggie is waking Jason up.  So I’d better go.  Later!

When I got home on Saturday from graduation, I had a headache.  I had it all day on Saturday, on and off on Sunday, and it returned on Monday morning.  I think it was just a tired, stressed-out, worked-too-hard for too-many-days-straight kind of a tension headache.  But it was getting annoying. 

So yesterday, I decided to relax. I took a trip to Walmart to get a few things, but realized about halfway through the grocery aisles that I was pushing my limits.  I hurried with the rest of my shopping (which did wonders for my grocery budget, I’m sure!), and went home.  And I sat down.  I purposely watched TV while I ate lunch and then for another hour.  And then I got up and tried again. 

And my headache was gone.  And it stayed gone.  And this morning, it’s still gone.  Thank God!

Once my head stopped hurting, I was actually quite productive, too.  I cleaned out and washed the inside of my refrigerator.  I dusted.  I planted some seeds to start indoors.  We made dinner (Eric grilled, I did the rest) – steaks, salad, baked potatoes.  Yummy!  I did not clean up the dishes.  I plan to do that this morning.  And I did watch some more television last night. 

Today, I have to call to see if I can schedule an appointment to get my car’s cruise control replaced.  It went out last fall, and Eric decided that he doesn’t want to drive to SC next month without cruise control (never mind that I’ve been driving back and forth to CU for months without it! ).  So hopefully, I can get that moving today.  Other than that, I have a pretty open day…we shall see what adventures befall me!

Happy Tuesday!

Summer vacation begins…today!

So I finished grading and turned in my grades on Friday.  I picked up dinner on my way home, and Eric and I just hung out in the evening.  I got up just after 6 a.m. on Saturday so I could make it to CU on time to help my Mom with graduation.  It was pouring down rain all morning, so I wore my less-comfortable, waterproof shoes.  And the Cedarville wind broke my golf umbrella.    Even more sad, it was one of these umbrellas which is supposed to be wind-proof.

Anyway, graduation went fine.  It was a low-key ceremony, and I got to see lots of former students who graduated this year (wow…I’m old!).  But by the time the diploma part of the ceremony was over (I help direct traffic and try to keep the picture-taking parents under control), my feet were killing me (remember the less-comfortable, but waterproof shoes).  And I was starting to get a headache.  So I went home before graduation had ended (also beat traffic that way!). 

In the afternoon, we went to see Iron Man.  It’s a good movie.  Clean, funny, decent story (fairly predictable as superhero movies go).  I’d recommend it.  Then we went home and I fought my headache for the rest of the day by sitting on the couch, letting Eric cook dinner, and going to bed at 9:00 pm. 

Sunday was church, goofing off in the afternoon, then our Pastor’s 60th birthday party at the church.  It was a good time, and we got to sit with a number of couples from our small group.  Then we went home, watched some more TV, and went to bed.

This morning, I am officially on summer break. *huge sigh of relief*  My primary order of business is to relax and unwind from the stress of last week.  But I also need to do a couple of things to make myself feel like a real person again (instead of just a grader).  Of course, I don’t know what those things will be yet…but I’m sure I’ll come up with something. 

Happy Monday!

It’s a Good Friday!

No, not that one, but it’s still a good day nonetheless.  I have just a few more portfolios to read, and I should be able to finish them all today and turn in my grades.  Once I do that, I’m officially done with my responsibilities until August! Yippee!! 

Edit (11:20) ONE CLASS DOWN…ONE TO GO!!!
Edit (3:45) I’M DONE!!!!!!  HAPPY SUMMER VACATION TO ME!

Last night, I graded in my office until 4:00 and headed home.  I got 12 portfolios graded yesterday (which surprised even me!), so I felt very productive.  I cleaned up the kitchen and made dinner while Eric mowed, and after dinner, we went to the grocery and then made more pasties for him to have as breakfast sandwiches.  He had a couple of breakfast ones this week and very much enjoyed them.  So we made an entire batch of them for him.  Of course, after they went in the over, I had to clean up the kitchen again.

EDIT (8:40)
Pasties Recipe
Dough
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/3 c. shortening
3/4 c. milk.

Mix the dry ingredients and blend in the shortening.  Stir in the milk.  Knead 10-20 times and roll out thickly. Cut out circles (I use my largest biscuit cutter), keeping the dough thick.  Roll each circle out into a thin circle (probably about 5 inches around, thickness is up to you).  To fill: brush egg wash around the outside of the circle, place filling in the center (don’t use too much or the dough will burst when baking), fold one side of the dough over to create a half-moon and crimp the edges to seal.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. 

Fillings
Alton Brown (Food Network chef) calls pasties the leftover magnet, and he’s right.  Eric usually makes the filling, but he generally creates a cheesy gravy (butter, milk, cheese, flour) and then we throw in whatever we have.  We’ve done ham/corn, ham/broccoli, steak/eggs, ham/eggs, pizza.  Also a beef stew would go well in a pasty. Get creative!
END EDIT

We watched The Office and 30 Rock (I don’t like that one as much) while the sandwiches baked, and then we headed to bed. 

Today, it’s back to CU, and I don’t know what the evening or weekend plans are yet.  I know Eric wants to see Iron Man (the new comic book movie), so maybe we’ll see that.  I also have to help my mom with graduation stuff tomorrow morning.  But other than that, I think we’re pretty open. 

Anyway, Happy Friday to you all! 

It never ceases to amaze me how, having been a Christian for as long as I have, I am still inconsistent and easily distracted from the truth, the Word, the promises, the Spirit…from everything that really matters.  I woke up in the middle of the night last night and immediately thought (I have no censors at that hour of the morning), “Well, no wonder you’ve been struggling so much…you’re hardly praying, you’re hit-or-miss with the Word, and you pretty much focus on yourself all the time these days.  Yep…pretty much a recipe for trouble.” 

Nice way to wake up in the pre-dawn.  But still, my conscience was right.  I can’t expect stellar growth and great mental/emotional stability when I’m not consistently feeding myself on spiritual realities.  I can’t even expect little steps forward when I’m not correctly focused.  So, this morning, I went back to my Bible before Xanga time (it had been reversed for a while).  And it is a beginning…

Other than such musings, I am leading an unexciting life these days.  I did get that one last portfolio graded yesterday, so I have 22 left to go.  That sounds like a lot to me.  Especially since I want to get them done in two days (today and tomorrow), so I don’t have to go down next week at all.  But I think I’ll just see how today goes before I stress about it too much.  I may just have to bring some home with me tonight and grade in the evening, too.  We shall see…

I talked to Karen on my way home last night.  Then we had pizza for dinner (homemade).   I would’ve rather gone out for dinner, but Eric really didn’t want to spend the money.  So we looked at all the stuff we had and decided to make a pizza.  We sat on the couch, ate pizza, and watched television.  Then we went for a meander through the neighborhood (it turns out Eric wanted to see how his lawn compared to other people’s ).  Then we watched more television.  Then we went to bed.  See…not an exciting night, for sure!

EDIT (8:41): OH!  Something exciting did happen recently.  I forgot until just now (for some reason), but this month, we paid off my entire student loan from grad school.  I now owe the government NO money!  WOO HOO!!!

Anyway, today I MUST remember to take the garbage out before I head to CU.  Not much of a plan, but there it is!  Happy Thursday, all!

Wednesday morning. 

I can’t believe it’s the last day of April!  How time (and the semester) does fly…  And there was no frost at my house this morning, so the “freeze watch” they were threatening us with doesn’t seem to have crashed into us. Yay!

I decided not to grade yesterday morning.  It was sunny out, so I went to a bookstore.  I didn’t buy anything, but I browsed for a long time and read the newest People magazine. Apparently Miley Cyrus is being criticized for a photo of her leaked from a Vogue photoshoot.  I liked this lady’s take on it.  And that pretty much covered my need for celebrity gossip.

I did do a bit of grading in the afternoon.  I have 3 3/4 portfolios graded.  I watched YouTube videos of Jeff Dunham (a very funny ventriloquist) between each portfolio to give myself a break.  Eric didn’t get home until almost 6:00 which is very late for him.  I was going to have him take me out for Greek, but he needed to relax for a while.  So I made bread crumb crusted chicken breasts, veggies, and bread.  And it tasted yummy!  So I think I’ll hold out for Greek later this week.

In the evening, we watched a geek show until 8:00, and then I ironed.  I watched a Most Outrageous Moments show on NBC, the last half of AI, and the first half of Hell’s Kitchen.  I’ve decided that Gordon Ramsey, no matter how much he swears and yells, is really a nice guy underneath.  Anyway, I went upstairs at 9:30 and read in bed until 10:00.  Then lights out!

Today, I plan to head to CU.  I grade better in my office than at home on finals week.  And I really would like to have my portfolios done by Friday.  So…off I go!

I wish I had something of worth to say today.  Let me think about it…

Here’s what I’ve got:

• I brought home portfolios to grade today.  A portfolio takes about half an hour (sometimes less) to grade.  I brought 10 home with me.  It’s not likely I’ll spend 5 hours grading today. 

• Eric and I made dinner together last night.  We had pasties.  I made the dough; he made the fillings.  I like cooking with my husband.  It’s a great time to talk to each other.

• The Today Show just annoyed me.  Matt Lauer is in Amsterdam today (for their yearly series called ‘Where in the World is Matt Lauer?’).  The NY hosts were asking him viewer’s questions, and Ann Curry made sure to ask the one that assumes global warming is raising oceans which will flood Amsterdam.  I think the environment is really important, but I hate that the question was about global warming, not Amsterdam. Grrr!

• It’s pretty cool here today.  I walked on my treadmill.  At least the warm stuff is coming back tomorrow.

• My last day of classes went fine.  I had a meeting and then collected most of the portfolios (still waiting on one).  I worked on my Basic English reports.  Then I drove home. 

• After dinner, I watched television all evening (pretending there weren’t portfolios in my car, of course!). We watched part of Emeril Live, then Good Eats (about cupcakes), and two episodes of Dirty Jobs.  I recorded the Jon & Kate episodes to watch at lunch this week. 

• One of the Dirty Jobs was about a dairy farm (he helped deliver calves); Eric wasn’t impressed because he’d done most of those jobs himself.  But it was still cool to watch them being born. It reminded me of the day at the Edlunds that Peekaboo (a cat) gave birth in the kitchen, so we all got to watch.  I think we were on our way somewhere and were interrupted because, apparently, she needed Kathy’s help.  Does anybody else remember that?

Okay, I think that’s all I’ve got for now.  If anything exciting happens, or I come up with more, I’ll be sure to update my post.  Happy Tuesday!

It was a laid-back, non-exciting weekend at my house today, and it was lovely!

Friday night…I don’t remember what we did.  Dinner and television, I think.

Saturday, I reread the seventh Harry Potter book. I worked on some laundry, too. Eric mowed and worked around the yard (after the rain stopped, of course).  After dinner, I finished the book and then finished the laundry.  Then we watched part of a movie (True Lies) and went to bed.

Sunday was church, dinner, reading the paper, relaxing a bit, reading a book, doing another couple of loads of laundry, cleaning the kitchen, small group, home, television watching, bedtime.

See, it wasn’t that exciting.  But I did read a lot and took full advantage of my grading-free days!  Of course, today is the last day of classes (WOO-HOO ), so my students will turn in their final portfolios in class.  Which means I’ll have a lot of grading to do this week.  But it’s finals week, so I don’t mind at all! 

Anyway, I think that’s all I’ve got…happy Monday!

Laid-back Thursday

That’s a great way to describe yesterday.  I still got a few things done, but at a leisurely pace and when I felt like doing them.  I cleaned the kitchen after dinner, and I finished most of the laundry.  I did get the garbage out, and I started organizing our spare room (which is where we just dump things when we don’t have a good place for them). 

I also read a bit, went to Target twice (the return trip, to get my receipt corrected, went very well), put gas in my car, hung out with Karen for a couple of hours in the afternoon, and chilled on the couch eating pizza and watching a movie with Eric last night.  So really, it was a good day.

Today is the last Friday of classes at CU.  Next week is finals, so Monday is the last official day of classes.  I collect their final portfolios on Monday and don’t give a final, so I usually spend finals week grading at home or in my office. Grades aren’t due until sometime the week after finals, but I almost always have mine in by Friday of finals.  Then I’m just done, totally and completely done, for the summer.  That is a beautiful thought…

I have work day classes today, helping students with their final revisions for the portfolio.  My mom probably won’t be home for lunch today, so I’m on my own for that.  I have some random “catch-up” grading to do, as well, and I guess there’s a faculty meeting at 10:00.  It’s for a vote about something I don’t care about, so I’m not excited about having to go.  But I will.  Because I’m just a dutiful, obedient little goody-two-shoes.    Maybe it’ll get done quickly…

Well, I think that’s all I have.  Happy Friday to you all!

EDIT (11:20): So I did get the check in the mail and the garbage out.  Then I decided to go to Target because I realized this morning I have a total of 4 wearable short-sleeved t-shirts for the summer.  Definitely not enough!  So, off I go, and I find 6 shirts and a pair of pants.  When I got home, I realized I was charged for 4 shirts and 2 pairs of pants.  I guess I have to go back to Target this afternoon…grrr!

I just realized this morning that I need to send the second check on our vacation rental this year.  It has to be there by the end of the month, so it needs to go out this week sometime.  I’d almost forgotten! We are going to Kiawah Island, SC, this year for a lovely beach vacation.  This is where we’ll be staying.  We’re just a boardwalk from the beach and within easy driving of shops and things.  And Kiawah Island is about 30 minutes from Charleston, so we’ll probably head into the city at least once.  I’m very much looking forward to the event (as is Eric), especially after last year’s desert vacation!

Other than mailing that check, I don’t have much planned.  I must do laundry, but I also have no more grading until final portfolios come in next week, so I don’t want to be “good” all day.  I will probably run to a bookstore or go see Karen or something that is just for fun.  We shall see…

Yesterday was pretty busy.  I finished my grading before classes (that’s always good), and I spent all 3 classes giving one-on-one help as students needed it.  That means I was answering questions about revision, documentation, specific comments I made on their papers, and whatever else popped up.  It’s always a fun day, but really tiring by the end of it.

So, when I got home, I read a book for a while.  And made a light supper (ham salad sandwiches).  And read some more.  And watched television.  Oh, and Eric and I took some large boxes to the recycling place (I couldn’t get them in the dumpsters myself) and then went to put gas in his Jeep.  It was freakin’ expensive!!  But I guess that’s life for now.  Anyway, we finished the night with the new episode of Mythbusters, and then it was off to bed. 

Happy Thursday, my friends!