Friday bullets, 1/6/17

How'd it get to be Friday already? Does anyone else feel as though Christmas and New Years was at least a month away? On the doings of the past week.

  • I realized that this time last year we were in Urumqi, a day away from meeting Y. for the first time. I'll guess I'll do her one year home post tomorrow.
  • When I took down the Christmas decorations earlier this week, I realized that our tree was still incredibly fresh. Fresh as in, I could run my hand down the branch and very few needles fell off. It was the first time ever that when the tree was taken out the door that I didn't have an inch thick trail of needles marking its path to vacuum up. I'm really liking this cut your own tree business, I'm pretty sure we'll plan it into our festivities again next year.
  • I spent the first part of our week thanking myself for being so forward thinking in my school planning. We were all ready to get back to a normal schedule, so we started school. I knew we had a few things to finish up before we were back on track and I wasn't looking forward to being behind before we'd even begun. When I looked at my master schedule, I realized I didn't plan for school to start until next week! This meant we could use this week to get back into our school groove and catch-up on those things we didn't get to before Christmas break. This is what we did and we'll be ready to dive in on Monday. Well, except for those darn paper mache birds... they are still a work in progress.
  • For the first time in weeks, I have run out of several important food items before the weekly grocery store trip. I think I didn't fully plan into my amounts the fact that I have my two college students home and that they will want to eat, too.
  • Since the vast majority of Christmas was delivered to us via Amazon (Aside: I think Amazon Prime should make their new tag line, "We help you to develop the best procrastination skills you can."), I had more than the usual number of Amazon points. So I splurged on something completely frivolous and bought us a tortilla press. We are now all utterly in love with homemade tortillas. B. and I are ready to experiment in getting the right size for tacos. They would be so yummy for tacos... and just to eat... and quesadillas... You get the idea.
  • P. received a new Kindle Fire as a gift for Christmas, so she had a Kindle Fire box. I can't be sure, but that box may have provided more joy to more children than the actual device. First the younger half cut out the picture of the Fire. Then they used it to make more cardboard Fires with the recycling. I think each of them now has their own Cardboard Fire and they have been Skyping with each other, taking endless pictures, catching Pokemons, and watching videos. I haven't had to ask anyone to put theirs away at the table yet. Remind me again why I buy them toys and not just stack of cardboard.
  • Kenzie is such a good dog! Gretel could never be invited to parties because she just go too wild and too overwhelmed and the guests got too overwhelmed, and she just had to go rest in her crate. Kenzie spent the entire New Year's Eve party out and being a good party guest, helpfully snuffling up crumbs that fell to the floor and NOT eating the food that was set on the low tables that were around. 
  • We did our schoolwork in the kitchen yesterday and today. We could have managed it upstairs, but on a day when the high was 2, it was just more comfortable downstairs in the more heated part of the house. It's kind of the one down side to my great plan of using the third floor as our school room.
  • D.'s hair is now bleached nearly white; it still catches me by surprise. This weekend it will be dyed silver. No it's not just because you never know what color the Curry children's hair is going to be (though that's probably true), but because he is Oberon in the upcoming production of A Midsummer Night's Dream with Thin Ice Theater. It's Jan. 13, 14, and 15. Mark your calendars. 
  • I seem to have a new budding artist on my hands. Look at what Y. sketched while I was reading to everyone this morning. 


Are these not the cutest owls you've ever seen. They have such personality. You must remember that this is the child who informed me (she's great at informing me of things) that they did not just draw or color in China, as she watched everyone else doing this and was unhappy with her results. She is still not completely thrilled with how they turned out because they not look like owl photographs. Sigh. It's a good thing I've had a little experience with perfectionists.
  • Having written this and avoided the decision for a little longer, I now need to decide what I should work on next. I can pay the bills or write the three articles that are due and need to get sent or go downstairs and tackle the laundry. You know that the avoidance in is strong when what I really feel like doing is going upstairs to my bedroom (it's warmer there), and ironing the stack of linens that have piled up. No doubt this desire has something to do with the fact that there is nothing pressing (forgive the pun) about getting the ironing done. No one is waiting for the article, no pay by dates are looming, and no one is going to run out of underwear if I don't do it. So, of course, that is exactly what I want to do. I feel as though I spend my life working against my contrary nature. Heh, it seems I'm even contrary about being contrary.
  • Finally, please pray for the little girl of a virtual friend of mine who is currently in surgery as I write this. There are a lot of unknowns and she could end up having a risky heart procedure. You can read about little Gigi at her mom's blog, The Full Plate.

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