I've always been partial to it...

Things I love
What happened Thursday
Thursday I was doing some observation in the lunchroom at work. One of the new little girls turned and waved at me.
Girl: "That's the girl I like!"
Teacher: "That's Miss Kate."
Another boy at the table looked up
Boy: "I like Miss Kate!"
Girl: "That's a pretty name!"
Teacher: "Yes, it is a pretty name, isn't it?"
Then the whole table erupted in a chorus of "I like Miss Kate" "She comes and watches us sometimes" and "She's nice"
Awesome.

that's altogether too much hygiene for me

Things I Love
Cooking

Oh. My. Goodness. I can't believe it took until now for me to realize I love to cook. And not just regular "let's find a recipe and follow it to the letter" cooking, either. I LOVE to cook with whatever I have on hand and make something that sounds good to me. In fact, I have chosen to share my two favorites so far:
Chicken Stir Fry (serves one)
One section of a package of King Soba Sweet Potato Buckwheat noodles
One boneless skinless chicken breast cut into chunks
grapeseed oil
coconut oil
Worcestershire sauce
any frozen or fresh veg you have on hand.

prepare the noodles. Combine grapeseed and coconut oils in a skillet and cook the chicken. Add the veggies and noodles and cook it together. Splash on the Worcestershire sauce enough to cover the mixture

I have not gotten the oil proportions right yet and have ended up with some oily noodles, but for the most part this is pretty good. However, this next one blows the other out of the water!

Really awesome artichoke chicken
1 jar artichoke hearts
1 chicken breast cut into chunks
Green beans
1 half of a medium lime
2 tbsp butter
Worcestershire Sauce
Cookwell & Company Olive and Lemon Vinaigrette

Combine butter, lime, worchestershire sauce, and salad dressing in a skillet and simmer together. Then cook the chicken breast until it is done. Add the artichoke hearts and green beans and simmer it for about 10 minutes. Serve hot!

Again, I have absolutely no idea on proportions. I would do enough vinaigrette to coat the chicken and chokes and enough Worcestershire sauce to brown the chicken, and I think this would be extra great with some linguini and and some sort of cream base for the sauce, though the butter base is good! This had a sweet aftertaste which I think had something to do with the vinaigrette or the artichoke juice.

No pictures this post. I really really hate taking in-progress shots because 1) I have to stop in the middle and wash my hands and then take the picture and then wash my hands again and that's altogether too much hygiene for me; 2) my dear dear camera, Sylvia, might get food on her; and 3) Penny might take the opportunity to help herself to my noms!

Today I roasted bell peppers and then packed them into a jar with some garlic salt, Italian seasonings, and olive oil and then put it in the fridge. This will keep for a week or so, and since I am in LOVE with red bell peppers this won't be an issue. They were on sale today so I bought four to roast and four to freeze for later. I try not to buy them over $1/pc and they've been almost two dollars/pc for a few months! I was in pepper withdrawal. The grocery also was celebrating the new hatch peppers with a sale but I didn't bite. I might try it later though!

Got any delicious recipes of your very own design? Have improvements or suggestions for these recipes? Try them and let me know what you think!

And perhaps even a flower stand!

Things I Love

My Mail Wall

When I get personal mail or invitations or just something really pretty that I like, I post it on my mail wall. I think it's a nice little collage of all sorts of wonderful things. Most of them are from the one, the only, Carrita, which is totally fine by me. I'm a bit sentimental. I even sometimes keep thank-you notes. Penny's diploma is up there too (and soon will be joined by another!). Soooo....if you want to make my wall, send me some mail! If I don't know you in person, sorry, you don't get to join, unless you want to make me something, scan it, and email it to me. MAYBE it'll make the wall.

My Tiny, Tiny Desk


I found this guy when I was looking for a wardrobe or dresser. This desk is my size! It's been redone, restained, had more patch-jobs and repairs than I can even count. When I bought it, it had a whole bunch of water damage and deterioration, which is gone, but I'm waiting for my uncle to help me finish the rest as I currently lack the proper power tools. When it's finished, I'll be able to completely use it as an actual desk. I also need to find the perfect chair for it as my current one is too wide to fit it.
Yes, it looks cluttered. This will change when the drawers have bottoms.

Farmers' Markets

I've gone to my local farmer's market for the past two weeks to get my bread and honey. These people sell organic, local, in-season veg, local raw organic honey (strange the way honey is treated, filtered, etc., as it's a natural antiseptic), grass-fed beef and even bison! I got a loaf of sourdough for my sandwiches and might get some bison jerky next week. We'll see. When I move to a larger city, I'm excited about the variety of the stalls and perhaps even a flower stall!

Things I Don't Love
Being Accident ProneLast week I walked barefoot out to the driveway and stepped on some glass. I thought, "ow, but no big deal, I'll just get it out" however, I couldn't. I soaked it for ages in a hot hot hot tub, but the next morning I could barely walk on it. So I called my doctor, who said I had to go to a surgeon, who was booked and suggested I go to a podiatrist. They fit me in between appointments and were the very nicest people I have ever dealt with. As I was getting ready to leave, the lady at the front desk asked if I'd gotten a pen and a magnet and a card, because she was SO excited about giving them out, and then she was almost crestfallen when she realized they were out of magnets. Among the diplomas and certificates this doctor had displayed on his wall was an award from his medical association for "Nicest Doctor". I was SUCH a baby when he numbed up my foot. He had to lean my chair all the way back so I didn't faint, I started getting nauseous, and I cried a lot. All the while I apologized for being such a baby!He got two pieces of glass out from the ball of my foot just below my little toes and told me not to get it wet for a few days (which I managed until I went glass bottomed kayaking with my dad that Saturday).

Saying Goodbye

My dear friend Miss Willow is moving several states away tomorrow. I got a great short visit from her a couple weeks ago and we had a grand time. Grandest of grand. She is such an awesome lady, so encouraging, and I know that she is going to do wonderfully in the frozen tundra, but I am going to miss her. Even though she wasn't close enough to see very often, I had the security of knowing that when I went home to see my family I could possibly see her. I love you, Heath! And I am absolutely certain that the frozen tundra will be a little warmer having you in it!

Your eyes will be delighted

Things I Love

Hexagons

For some strange reason, my favorite number has always been six. Maybe it's because my birthday is on the 26th, maybe it's because I just like the number, but I think the three sets of twos that make it up are just lovely, and the two sets of three are rather dashing as well. I like the number six. Pair that with an unnatural love for honey and then a documentary I saw about bees in the fifth grade that stated the honeycomb is the most efficient shape in nature, and I'm hooked on hexagons. I don't understand it. Octagons, fare the well. Squares, you know what you are: square. Hexagons are where it's at. Forever and ever, amen. I love circles, too, of course, but right now I really love hexagons.

Druzy Druzy is formed when water forces itself inside an already formed crystal, creating a cavity and then a new crystal on top of that cavity. The result is intense sparkle and color and strangeness. I am so amazed by the pictures I see. Jewelry made with druse or druzy or however you choose to spell it is creative and interesting when done well, when the entire point is celebration of the stone itself. This one is from Free People and it's just beautiful! Search flickr and etsy for them, your eyes will be delighted.


Getting to know a knitting pattern

I've been knitting for seven years (wow! Seven years!) and one of the great parts of knitting a project is learning the pattern so well that it makes sense to you. Each time I look at it and say "ah, this requires a ssk, not a k2tog" and with the sage wisdom of something akin to a knitting Yoda, I proceed to ssk my heart out (followed by a yo). Granted, there are times when my confidence causes me to stumble, and I have several, several mistakes in this current project, but I still like knowing the basic movement of the pattern.

Things I Don't Love

Chores

It seems I've just finished doing laundry when all of a sudden all my clothes are dirty again. I've just cleaned and now there's a mess. I JUST bought groceries but suddenly my clothing is all gone. How is it that these things constantly have to be done? Please!

Honestly, I can't think of anything else right now.

Sweet and Sagey

Things I love

This Lady

Bynney and I have been pals since about 2007. We were RAs together and lived across the hall from each other for a semester. I lived above her when we were RAs. She got married today and was absolutely stunning, as usual.

The Dutchman's Hidden Valley

This is a store on highway 281 in Hamilton, Texas. We used to stop at it on road trips, and it's just a fun place with good food and candy and gifts. It's practically in the middle of nowhere, too, so it's a welcome stop.

I got a peppered beef sandwich on rye.

Highway 281/Texas roadways in general

I LOVE this drive. Everything was green and the air smelled sweet and sagey. I definitely took a lot of pictures like this, many through my bug-smeared windshield.

Stopped at this roadstop to finish my sandwich and enjoy the green.

Sweet Charity

Watched this on Netflix, and I fell in love with it. I love the character of Charity Hope Valentine, and I love the ending. Dancing's not bad either. ;) I loves me some Fosse, Vereen, and Rivera!

I think a lot of the songs are rather ingenious, too...


Things I Don't Love
The Pajama Game
I watched this on Netflix just before Sweet Charity and decided to watch Sweet Charity just to redeem the night. I don't like Doris Day very much, felt that even for a musical the plot was very ill-formed, and that the performances lacked...well...performance.
Watch the movie version:


and the stage version in the tribute musical Fosse:


Maybe Meg Gillentine (from the second video) just has more sparkle. The love story also was pretty forced...bad acting all around. Sad.

Driving all the way home from Stephenville and realizing I left my shampoo, conditioner, and razor at the hotel.
*Headdesk*
Store tomorrow.

we're peek-a-boo buds

Things I Love
Erickson
That's right, I love a developmental theorist. I love the wonder and beauty he gave to childhood. I love that he extended development throughout the lifespan, that someone finally decided that life doesn't stop changing at the end of adolescence! I love that he started out as an artist. I think that's why his theories are so beautiful, and why the sciencey people in psychology and development get so frustrated with him.

Piaget
That's right, I love TWO developmental theorists! Piaget cared SO MUCH about education, and not about how we're concerned now, about keeping the children up to pace, but about developing children who love to learn who are curious!


Seriously. I want that on a poster in every office I work in and in my room and in my car and written in the sky. If we focus only on gaining the knowledge that everyone already has on a strict schedule, where are we going to improve and develop as a society? Piaget is a guy whose descendants I would marry just so I could tell my children that they are related to a great great man. Is that weird to say? I think it might be.



Alpaca yarn


I'm knitting a project right now using it. It might be the first time I haven't gotten a bit of a string burn on my fingers. It's that soft. I'd post pictures, but it's a surpriiiiiiiise!





These Ladies

I've been friends with these ladies for 8-19 years respectively (Carrita! Next year marks year 20 of our friendship! We should celebrate!). They are truly my dearest friends. They are the people I want to see, the people I want to be around, and the people I want to tell about my life. We are each going into completely disparate careers that are totally fitting to each of us. Ladies, I know that you all read this blog, so know that I think of you all the time and I miss you like CRAZY.
Look how beautiful they all are! I love my ladies!

My Job
Oh man, I know I complain about this a lot. And it can get SO overwhelming at times knowing I have no way to control the activity in a room. But today I was helping out in the baby room and this little boy I've been bonding with (we're peek-a-boo buds) came up to me smiling and touched his forehead to mine and said 'boo.'
I love to see how they grow and develop and learn, especially right at the preverbal stage. They want so badly to communicate that they'll do anything, motions, crying, articulate gibberish, all so they're understood. I love helping them stretch and grow. One girl in the room needs to sit next to people (it's a step down from sitting in laps, which we've only just gotten her away from) and then points at what she wants. Today whenever she pointed I said "Go get it!" And she got upset. She wanted me to go get it. However, I know she's a crawler, I know she can walk a few steps even, so I said "go get it" and she went and got it each time. I even saw her take one step before she got scared and sat down to crawl.
In the fall, my position will give me all sorts of new responsibility and new challenges and new opportunities. I'm so excited about the opportunity to learn and contribute. This semester is going to be CRAZY but I think it's going to be good. And then I'll have only one or two classes left to finish my degree. Which is insane. This time next year I'll have a master's degree and HOPEFULLY working in a job I love.

Things I don't love
scratch that -- THINGS I HATE
Uneducated people who develop "therapies" without any research background and ultimately harm the helpless -- their patients

I am not sure how widespread the use of this "therapy" is. With my limited knowledge of attachment and of child development, I can say that this is detrimental to the future health of the child. Attachment theory states that a child is securely attached when a caregiver is responsive and sensitive. The child knows that their person is there for them, so the child feels free to go out and explore their world and eventually leave. Being forceful and authoritarian and physically aggressive is NOT the way to instill a "this person is safe, I can trust them" attitude in the child.

It has also led to the death of at least one child that I can confirm.

There is a website for the survivors of this "therapy" which to my knowledge is loosely compiled of bits and pieces of Bowlby's attachment theory and not on any scientific data. Here is where empirical evidence is crucial. In the realm of theory, it's fine to wax philosophical, however in the realm of treatment, just as in medial treatment, we had better be absolutely certain of the efficacy of an intervention before administering it to our most precious charges, our children.

Here is an organization searching for survivors of holding therapy and attachment therapy.

What I'm going to do to change it
Be a voice. The most powerful thing I know to do of my own volition is provide people with information. To warn them, to make them aware. To empower people to think about what their therapist is suggesting they do. To STOP if they feel uncomfortable. To feel like they have the right to put off and later research procedures they are suggested to take. This goes for medication as well. If I can let enough people know about this and the dangers of it, perhaps one person who comes in contact with this will be able to recognize this for what it is and refuse to have it done to their child.

Quick rant

And then back to normal formatting
Dear World (and in particular, a certain friend of Roommate #2)
You are not in any way, shape, or form in charge of me or in authority over me or over the way I choose to raise my dog. Therefore, every single lecture you give me on how to train her will be politely refused. And in increments less politely. And finally one day I will snap and tell you right to your face that you are NOT my boss and I will NOT be spoken to in such a way. I am in no way beholden to you and I do not appreciate your judgement. If I decide that an old shoe that doesn't smell like me and I was going to throw away anyway is okay as a toy for the night before I throw it away, then I don't want to hear about how I'm forever dooming her to think that every shoe is fun to chew on. If dogs can be taught to differentiate between different toys and tools, they can be taught that some things are okay and some things are not. In fact, just after you left she made a move for Roommate #1's shoes but moved away from them when I said to leave it and happily picked up the shoe. Now she's done with it and I threw it away.

I am SO tired of how she acts in general and in particular how she feels she knows so much more about training and behavior and about how to raise my dog. We are making slow but steady improvement unaided by the fact that the room mates are somewhat causing roadblocks in training and I feel we'd be more successful if we lived alone right now. We are doing the best we can. I am doing my best. Next time I will very firmly yet as politely as possible point out that Penny is MY dog and I am doing what I feel works. If she feels differently that's fine, but I'm not going to change due to her advice, so I would appreciate it if she keeps her thoughts to herself. Since she recently lost her job due in part to not keeping her opinions to herself, I doubt this will do any good, but at least I'll know that she knows my position.

Next post will be back to the things I love/things I don't love/How I'm going to change it format.
End rant.