12-26-16

Aza's cat Zara helping with the annual Christmas puzzle.

12-25-16

Christmas morning-- I cooked shrimp and grits while the kids looked through their stockings, which were hung by the chimney with care. They each got a packet of thank you cards and a magnetic "to do" list pad, plus TicTacs and other assorted items like socks. Santa so loves stuffing stockings. After breakfast, the five of us opened presents. I opened this mysteriously shaped one--- to receive what was tops on my wish list-- a ukelele.

Squirt received something called "SQUIRT." 

Then we spent the rest of the day at Nana's house for Christmas day dinner. She had prime rib and this sweet potato/potato and cheese dish that was so so good. We all ate so much. B and M were at dinner also.

12-24-16

All my children are home.

Squirt arrived around 10pm--- Aza drove to ATL to pick him up. Love love love...

12-23-16

Christmas eve eve and my twins are cuddled up on the couch looking at boys on Tinder :) Aza does not look too happy I'm taking her picture. We went to dinner at Mellow Mushroom tonight.

12-22-16

Today I finished crocheting Squirt a stocking! 

(Guess you can see his real name now.... mystery revealed...)

I designed our house numbers and Dan made them and hung them today. It's so cute! And I made the magnolia wreath too...

So we went for a walk today. I mean a hike. 

We hiked to the top of Smith Mountain then Dan and the girls decided to take a longer route back to the car... and I got

LOST

12-21-16

Jes arrived last night at around 1am... I picked her up from the shuttle stop.

Tonight we played our favorite game. 

I think I won. Maybe. 

My twin girls!

12-20-16

I finally finished Squirt's sweater and blocked it! I sure hope it fits him...

12-19-16

Walked tonight and found the town's most amazing corner of lights!

Aza and I made these ornaments today with my Silhouette "printer."

12-17-16

I'm trying to walk 10,000 steps a day over break to keep active.... walked home from my mother's tonight. Nice view of campus...

12-16-16

Aza is home! Time to start a holiday puzzle... And she brought Zara, who is going to live with us this year until Aza graduates.

Zara says, "What are you looking at. I did not drink that milk you left on the counter..."

12-15-16

The bathroom is officially done, and we moved back onto our bedroom today after 4 months.

It feels good!

And here's a peek at my home office. I'm thinking of re-doing the artwork arrangement, and re-painting.

12-14-16

The bathroom is ALMOST done... just need knobs, and then moving all our stuff back in.

I finished blocking this baby blanket today- a gift for a former student.

12-12-16

Campus is empty this evening after I leave, having worked most of the day meeting students and such.

12-9-16

I'm writing this today. Sometimes I back-date my entries, and have to check the calendar to see what I even did that day. But today is today.

Last night I made cheese straw dough so I could bake them this morning for our department party. I had to bake them all and be there by 10am. I was pretty much on time and it was really fun to just sit and talk and eat and drink coffee with my colleagues. It really was.

Then I graded papers.

Then I came home and Dan was finishing up the tile work. He hung the mirror that we debated about for WEEKS.  We are both really pleased.

We also got the frame for the cabinet in the laundry room and I think it looks awesome.

This weekend I need to finish grading, and we need to go and celebrate our anniversary (Thanks Mom and Dad for the gift that will fund our fancy dinner!), and clean up the rest of the house, and move BACK into our bedroom!!!

Then--- next week---- it's time to get our jingle bells on and get excited about the kids coming home and us ALL BEING TOGETHER.

12-8-16

I was inside the house grading papers (classes are over and I'm buried under so much grading) when I noticed how beautiful this tree was outside. I ran out to take a picture and said hey to my student who was driving by. She had been at my house the night before learning to knit socks for the Penguins kit. Also, another student came by last night for some help with lesson plans. And the heating and air guy fixed the heater. And the tile guys came over to look at the defective tiles they laid. It was a busy day--- yesterday--- but today I just graded papers all day long and here was this tree.
Here is our beautiful fall maple on December 8th.

12-7-16

I finished painting and now Dan is doing the tile backsplash.

Today I went to teach knitting at a school in the country. I got lost on the way--- even though I've been a dozen times or more, and ended up being 30 minutes late. 

12-3-16

It's been raining lately. For almost a week now, it seems, we have gotten rain. It prevented my weekly walk today. I spent all day painting the bathroom.

12-1-16

What color to paint the walls?

We picked White Down, the one on the left. And so, I will paint this weekend.

Today I met with a professor in another department to get some advice. He showed me the faculty dining hall---- had no idea it existed--- and I had a great salad!

11-25-16

We spent the day in Williamsburg and Jamestown.

I got to get reacquainted with my ancestor, Pocahontas.

Jamestown was fascinating--- we hadn't been since all the archeology results were available.

11-24 16

Thanksgiving day.

I made a Paleo dinner:

 A turkey breast stuffed with spinach, mushrooms and onions,

Gravy from turkey broth, schmaltz, and cauliflower (it was delish)

Butternut squash souffles

Roasted sweet potatoes and onions with rosemary

and for dessert--- bread pudding from pumpkin bread I'd made with almond flour.

11-23-16

Woke up-- no migraine-- and we drove to Richmond in time to have lunch with my BFF and her husband. 

53 years of friendship looks like this!

Then we snagged Aza and headed for the river. 

Ah, the quiet-- and the birds and the water--- and it felt good.

Dan and I looking off into the sunset.
(This was staged....)

11-22-16

We drove as far as Smithfield NC today. I had a migraine and collapsed into the hotel bed while Dan ran out for dinner take-out. Hoping this isn't the start of a several day migraine. 

11-21-16

The tile is laid. This photo is not a very good one--- it looks better than this.  Now we will be able to leave tomorrow for Virginia to spend Thanksgiving with Aza. We rented a cottage on the York River for three days.

11-20-16

This morning I asked Dan to light a fire and he did :)

It made me very happy and I pulled up the green chair and drank my coffee and did some work at my computer, then when the battery needed recharging, I sat and read by the fire. Such a special feeling and sound and smell... on a Sunday warm and cozy.

It feels restful in my bones for some reason.

Must be my TSH going back up to normal. It's almost time to get it checked to see how normal it might be.

11-19-16

Fast walking this morning in the leaf litter. It felt good to get out and walk with LACA.

Something about this just spoke to me and made me stop as I was crossing the street. I'm not sure what it means just yet, but it seemed poignant. 

I think the last time it rained was the beginning of September and before that, it was July. Seriously. We are in a severe drought. They aren't forecasting any rain all winter, and this is the rainy season for Alabama. Growing up here, all it did was rain all winter. Nope. Not now. See, even the lake in front of the museum is drying up and we have an island forming.

11-17-16

So I'm doing pretty well. I think being on a lower dose of Synthroid for six weeks now has helped with a lot of things. I feel more chill--- sleeping better, just more relaxed in general. It's good. The semester is almost over and that feels good too. I think my teaching evals will be good this semester. I thought this semester was going to be horrible with the way it started, but it's all fine. Here is what's on my needles. A baby blanket for a former student's baby boy due in the spring.

11-16-16

The shampoo area of the shower looks good!

In class tonight I took a hold of the Van de Graaff machine. The students called me Dr. Dandelion.

Lampshades arrived today---- to top off the lamps I made.