Just because

I thought my breakfast looked rather fetching this morning. All berries and yogurt. I added some grapenuts once I got to work. If you don't add them right before you eat it you lose the crunch and that's part of the beauty of the dish.

I have nothing terribly exciting to report. It's getting hot. My bedroom fan does not work - the pull seems to have disappeared. And I am being stubborn in not opening my bedroom window. I had a co-worker suffer from pigeon mites and there is someone in the next building that insists on feeding the pigeons out back and they are there all the time. Great for the cat to watch. Freaks me the hell out.

But, hey! Bedroom update! I made my bed and stuff a few days ago and took pictures of it looking all nice. Bed - Ikea. Nightstand from Target as is the lamp on the nightstand. Bedding from Overstock.com. I ordered the king size so it would fall farther. Tulips drawing by the mother. Wrapped in a large plastic bag and steeped in insect killing, do not breathe, toxic-ness for three months. It looks nothing like this now, don't worry. But pretty, right?

Also, the sign on the bedroom door that doesn't get blocked when the cat is banished to there. I need to warn them, it's only fair. I've folded and now keep the litter box in there permanently. It had been in the dining room because I didn't want it in my bedroom but I kept moving it in there when folks came to visit because, well, it's a litter box and kinda gross. Just what I want in my bedroom. Heh.

My Graduate

She's a lot of other folks' graduate this year too. But she's the one who got me at her graduation and is getting my prayers as she finishes things up. And a study time care package, because nothing says love like Diet Coke while writing papers and studying for finals.


She's pretty amazing and one of three women graduating this year with her M.Div. from one of the most respected seminaries in the country.

Spring?

Has spring come and gone that quickly? It feels like it. Even though it's still fleece weather here it feels like I missed the best part of spring when everything is blooming and pretty. The crab apples on campus blossomed for a distressingly short amount of time. The magnolias are all gone, sad petals discarded on the grass. I miss azaeleas and iris. I miss the weeping cherry trees. I miss the spring as a spring should be.

But the rain has stopped and this season may be redeemed yet. I'll let you know when I finally feel as though I can put the coat away.

Put a fork in me

I know I've mentioned the leadership turnover at my small group. And my less than excited state. In fact, I haven't been since things were officially turned over. Which may sound bad but it has really only been two times that I've missed. I said I would bring a salad tonight so I guess I will have to show tonight.

But on the heels of this, last night at the worship service I attend regularly, it was mentioned that there is some discussion regarding the continuance of said service. I find this very distressing. I was starting feel like this was "home" or at least less alien and now it could very well be taken away.

I'm pretty sure this is why I left the old church a few years ago - lack of constancy in structure. I'm feeling very done with church these days.

Sometimes, work is great.

Holy hell y'all! Hands up everyone who was spooked awake at 5 this morning. I've got two of them up in the air. Seriously, I swear there was electricity coming through my outlets. I unplugged that fan quick. Lots of lightening and thunder but not much in the way of rain that I could tell so the shutting of my windows may not have been necessary. Oh well.

Last Friday I had a work thing. We celebrated our students and instructors who are outstanding in some way. Several of my advisees received awards and it was fun to see some of them for the last time as most of them will be graduating this May and I won't be there. Instead I'll be at another school celebrating a graduation with a friend.So this is one of the pictures from that. One of these ladies was an advisee of mine. She finished in an incredibly short amount of time and will start graduate school in the fall. The other lady I worked with for two years before she started in my program. Two years of looking at possible classes at a two-year school so that she could get as much transfer credit as possible. I actually had never met her before Friday but she remembered my assistance and I'm glad. I tend to focus on the difficult situations/students/classes rather than the assistance that I give and the success stories.

Hooray for reminders that I like my job most of the time and I like those with whom I work most of the time.

Dear Co-worker

Dear Co-worker who does not like to be in the office,
Please be aware that I too have work to do and cannot drop everything to help you because you choose to not come into the office or do things you should do when you are actually here.
Sincerely,
Hannita

Kitchen Updates

I've gotten rid of the "fine for now" fabric in the kitchen. It started getting on my last nerve. So now it's just plain, boring, non-eye-searing, natural colored muslin. Stuck up with starch again.Last night I also pulled down the previously matching curtain and put up plain ones that split in the middle and again, don't make my eyes hurt. The late afternoon/early evening light that comes in these days is SO beautiful. I keep trying to capture a picture of it but they are all pale shadows of what really comes into my apartment.

The light behind the colander makes doing dishes at night a little magical. And if something can make doing dishes magical, well, bring it on. It's just the lightbulb on the cord thing from IKEA. The prayer bunting also helps. My abuelita had a clothesline of people to pray for over her kitchen sink so I borrowed this idea from her. In reality it is just a few moments of wordless prayer for whomever catches my eye rather than anything systematic but I choose to believe that God hears it all and small wordless prayers can be just as effective and wordy, showy ones.
Props to my mom for figuring out a way to keep the extra cord in the sifter. She tried to explain it to me and I could not, for the life of me, picture what she was saying. I left and came back later and she had it all rigged up.

I keep breaking things. I've cleaned up more broken dishes and glass in the last few weeks than I have in entire years. Last night right around 11, Leo knocked down the large picture frame that was on top of the hutch. Massive shards of glass. Ugh. Last week I broke some goblets and then later discovered that they had bumped into some glass bowls and broken them too. Prior to that other dishes had broken. In fact, on my way back from WI I stopped at IKEA to stretch my legs and look at their dish options, none of which would do. That's how bad this situation has become. I was looking at the thrift stores for more options but nothing was jumping out at me. And Marshalls hasn't provided much either. But I'm sure patience will be rewarded. The thrill is in the hunt, right?

Yes, more pictures from the farm.

The girls, Olga and Inga, were in fine form when I visited with them. They were very needy in the attention area. And really, who isn't when you're about to give birth? Some attention, being told you're still pretty, it's important I suppose.

However, at this point they were using my knees to climb up my person and get to my hands which were busy with the camera. "Petting! Now!" is what they seemed to insist.
One of their new behaviors was to rub their swollen sides against the gate. An itch they couldn't reach? An attempt to get their contractions started? Who knows. It was rather strange. But they were sweet. I'm sure they'll be great milk producers.
And some other beautiful randomness.