With a little bit of luck...

I am seriously the luckiest lady I know. Seriously. Seriously. (And I've been watching Grey's Anatomy, can you tell?)

Anyway, let me tell you my great news! I have a new job and it is quite literally my dream job for this stage of my life. I am going to be teaching 3 classes at the local college next spring and I can't even tell you how psyched I am. And lucky. Because they usually want you to have a PhD before you can teach at a 4-year institution but one of their faculty went on medical leave and they needed someone on short notice. Now I am really glad that I called and "checked in" on my application a few months back. Talk about luck! (At least on my part. I really hope the medical leave isn't a very serious condition on my future colleague's part. I would feel bad if my good fortune only came from someone else's misfortune.)

So, yay! Go me! I just landed my dream job. I've been wanting to teach for years now and this is so perfect. I only have to be on campus for about 9 hours per week, only 7 of them during the day. That means little miss will still get lots of time with me and I can do grading and presentations either when she's napping or during the evening.

What did I tell ya? Lucky. That should be my middle name.

Know Thine Enemy

It has been a long day. Some have had worse days, no doubt. But still, a long day. The potty training has begun in earnest in our household and it is not fun. And not easy. I suppose part of me blithely hoped (or perhaps fantasized is a better way to put it) that one day Emma would decide there would be no more of this kiddie crap (no pun intended) and simple decide to use her potty chair. As the case seems to be, she is sick of wearing diapers and not yet ready to wear panties. Today, before noon, we had 4 accidents. Bad accidents. It has occurred to me that potty training my daughter is going to be far more challenging than potty training any of my numerous pets has ever been.

When it comes to pets you can simply throw them outside. Rub their nose in it. Scold them. Keep them outside until they behave. With a child? No such luck. Instead I think I will have to work some serious voodoo. A friend of mine told me today that all potty training really is brainwashing. This makes sense. Now the problem I face is that mine opponent is an abnormally smart two-year old with limited facilities. I have tried reminding her every 30 - 45 minutes to use the potty but all that really does is annoy her and stress her out. I have tried putting diapers on her but she simply takes them off. I have bought her pretty panties and that excited her and I think dismayed her more than anything else when they got dirty. (In all reality I think I was more upset about them getting dirty than she was because, well, I am the one that gets to clean them.)

Side note: Oh my heck, I have never seen any child get so excited over Thomas the Tank Engine undies. She literally jumped up and down with excitement. hehehehehe

I shall have to try a new approach. Diapers at bedtime with jammies on backwards so she can't unzip them. Panties during the day at home, an available potty and no pressure. I will win her to the cause (if I can't make her wear diapers I really don't have a choice in whether or not I potty train her) but I will do it subtly. I will let her do it at her own time.

Meanwhile, does anyone know a good carpet cleaning service?

A Little Love

I made Emma another dress from some really cute corduroy a friend gifted me. I also decided to spice it up a bit this time with contrasting thread, a front pocket and a little bit of embroidery. Keep in mind that I hate hand stitching anything but this went so quickly it was fun and turned this simple dress into a lovely little outfit.


Sometimes I look at the things I make and I wonder if it's a waste of my time. I mean, I could just go buy her these things...but I take great pleasure from making little things for the ones I love. I love to hold her, make her toys, wrap her in blankets I stitched and dress her in lovely clothes I sewed. And besides, someday she can look at them and know I made them just for her.

In an alternate universe...

In an alternate universe (AKA my dreams last night) I met Patrick Dempsey...

How's that for a hook? Are you drooling yet? Well, if you're female and reading this I bet you are.

Anyway, I dreamed I was Christmas shopping for my nieces in a big mall and I kept getting turned around and going up and down escalators and lost as all heck when the eye of a tall, dark and handsome caught my eye. We kept running into each other as I ran the maze of this giant mall until we finally sat down on a bench and talked for a bit. Me: nervous around a super hot guy even in my dreams. Him: crushingly handsome in that almost floppy-puppy-dog kind of way.

Side note: In my dream I was single, not two-timing the handsome man I'm married to. Besides, doesn't the celebrity rule apply anyway? Hehehehehe

After a bit of stumbling conversation (on my part) and smoldering looks (on his part) I was torn from my dreams by the sound of a screaming babe. Poor little girl threw up twice last night and seems to have recovered today though why she threw up so much last night is a mystery. She is currently in the stage of "Mommy hold you," as she says it. She quite literally grabs my arms and wraps them around her and if I try to move one she grabs it and puts it right back around her. It seems today I will accomplish....absolute nothing. Maybe if I'm lucky she'll take a really long nap and I can go back to my dream. Of course, now I have this strange need to watch Grey's Anatomy...

Crafty Mommy

This week has just been a madhouse every day it seems. Since I was out of commission and let Emma watch way too many movies I decided this week would be about books, games and crafts instead of screen based entertainment,

On Monday we went to the library and found more Thomas the Tank Engine books. I have no idea why she's so obsessed with trains right now, but she is. It's too funny to hear her go "choo choo" every time she hears one passing through.


On Tuesday we made beads and Christmas ornaments from flour dough that Emma painted after I baked them. They are so cute and super simple. I know Emma's Grandparents will be happy to have little ornaments painted by the Little Miss herself. :)


On Wednesday I made edible PlayDough and we had some friends over for a bit of squishing fun. It was so great! The playdough turned out perfect and the kids had a great time. I put a plastic table cloth on the floor and gave them my rolling pin, some cookie cutters, plastic forks and knives, and a cookie dropper. They proceeded to make cookies, snakes, snowmen, stars, hearts and all sorts of fun shapes. I just love watching kids use their imaginations to play!

Yesterday Emma and I trekked to Salt Lake City to visit with a friend and along the way we visited a store (new to me) called World Market. I finally found the Indian spices I need to make a proper Chicken Makhani. Yay!!

Today has been pretty busy so far, too. This morning we had friends over again and let the moms chat while the kids played. I know Emma's still young, but I really like the thought of her having regular playmates and "friends" around her age. My brother-in-law and his sweet girls should be here this evening so I've been bustling around doing laundry and making Pumpkin Muffins. I hope your weekend is great!

It worked...sort of

I put together the quilt, finished one footie and made a bit of progress on husband sweater #1. In payment, my new knitting books arrived yesterday!! I loooooooove them and just can't wait to use them. My new acquisitions are Traditional Fair Isle Knitting, Knitting without Tears and The Best of Interweave Knits. There is so much to learn from reading the first two and the third is almost pure eye candy. :)

On the cold front (ha ha!), I am slowly recovering. I finally filled the script I was given on Monday for a decongestant and it seems to be working, except it keeps making me really antsy and a bit anxious. Blah.

Till later!

Held Hostage

I have come to the realization that the crafting powers-that-be are holding my stuff hostage.

Exhibit A: About two months ago I ordered yarn to make a lovely sweater for my husband. Now, after two attempts to procure it and ordering mishaps, I still do not have said yarn.

Exhibit B: I ordered three knitting books that were shipped over a week and a half ago that have still not arrived.

Why, you ask, would my new stuff be held hostage? What makes me think such a devious plot is underway? Well, I have a theory that until I complete some of the projects I've begun I will not be allowed to have any new stuff. Kindof like a child that hasn't eaten it's green beans, I can't have more until I finish what i have...or at least make a reasonable amount of progress.

In the spirit of cooperation I have been working on the quilt I started last month that is still in pieces on the guest bedroom floor. All I have to do is put the border on and the top will be done.

Now, let's see if my stuff arrives in the mail today....

Send Help and Cookies

Me: sick, nearly incapacitated (whew, that was a long word), in desperate need of cookies

Emma: slightly sick, very crabby in medium doses and watching movies

We went to the doctor and it's not strep, or infections (yet) just plain old run of the mill sick with a nasty cold, sore throat, headache, ear aches and cranky. When I called Morgan and gave him the news he was as upset as I was.

Him, "What? They didn't give you any medicine for Emma? No chloroform or anything?"

Yep.

Send help...and cookies.

Halloween Fun

This was Emma's first Halloween trick-or-treating and it was so much fun. There are lots of kids in our neighborhood and it made for a great family event. I have no idea how Emma managed to climb up all those steps, but she did it. She even learned to say, "Trick or Treat!"


Of course, her "Happy Halloween" sounded more like "Happy Queen" but she said it with such enthusiasm you had to smile. Oh, and she was very polite and said, "Thank you" when she was given candy...after she tried to walk right into everyone's houses as soon as they opened the door.