Monthly Archive: October 2003

12
Oct
2003

PRIDE GOES BEFORE A DIET

Some things I’ve been wanting to do for a very very long time and am proud of having done this year: joined a choir started a reading list started an online journal began an art project One thing I’ve been wanting to do for a very very long time and still haven’t for whatever stupid reason gotten around to doing something about my weight **** And now, without further ado:

12
Oct
2003

COLLAGEY

Our bedroom is VERY clean. Even the windows. Even under the bed. Even the bed. In fact, ALL the beds. ๐Ÿ™‚ 5 loads of laundry and counting… Here’s page 10, the one I wasn’t happy with that I’m now fairly happy with. The cards in the little envelope are: 1) a playing card with an oriental-style painting of a heron standing in water 2) a card that says “When the ordinary man attains knowledge he is a sage. When the sage attains understanding he is an ordinary man.” I’m also almost done with page 11, which I absolutely LOVE, and...

11
Oct
2003

WHEEEE-KEND

Backhoe-man came an hour early, stopping me from pitching a fit, but he also gave us the bill for the 3 times he’s been here in the past couple of weeks, which was a bit of a staggerer. ๐Ÿ™ Anders and his dad got the entire yard raked out and sowed grass seed and the second they were done, it started POURING rain. It just poured. For about 20 minutes, giant puddles formed in the yard and the ditch in the front was completely full of water (and floating grass seeds). So they have to re-sow quite a bit tomorrow....

10
Oct
2003

REPEAT AFTER ME

Me: I will sleep in my own bed all night. Karin: Jag ska sova i min egen sรคng hela natten. Thanks for all the sympathy and advice. Some of it is being put into prompt action. Our dinner date was cancelled tonight due to a sick kid (theirs, not ours) so we had a relaxed evening, doing nothing much. I finished my new Smithsonian, which had a fascinating article about famous inventions that came about as a result of an accident (matches! Post-It Notes! vulcanized rubber! penicillin! popsicles! microwave ovens! Teflon!). I actually worked on my collage book for a...

10
Oct
2003

BED HOG

I’m ready to brain my daughter. She’s been a problem sleeper since the day she was born and we’ve jumped through all kinds of parenting hoops trying to work with and around it. She regularly wakes up in the middle of the night and comes into our bed. However, since she’s getting pretty big, it’s much more of a problem than it used to be, and I’m about at my wit’s end. ๐Ÿ™ We have an antique American double bed, which is barely big enough for the 2 of us, and exremely crowded if you add another body, especially one...

09
Oct
2003

HUNTER GATHERERS

After picking up the kids from skagis (our family word for “skola & dagis”), we headed out into the bush looking for autumn finery to deck our Halloween party tables. First stop, a red-ivy covered house (permission received earlier) where we bagged leaves. Next stop, our babysitter’s house, where a giant chestnut tree has covered the ground with nuts and chestnut casings. Chestnut jackpot! Then it was off to our traditional stop, where we get more red ivy (a different leaf) and those orange papery chinese lanterns. Here was where disappointment struck. No lanterns. Not a one…wait! here’s one! and...

09
Oct
2003

WOW

How come no one ever told me about this when I lived in the States? Word of mouth from a friend is that it’s SUPER cheap and you get TONS of stuff in every “lot” you buy. Great source for party supplies, costume accessories, novelties, craft supplies (basic, but still), etc. etc: Oriental Trading Company We expats have to send orders to someone in the States, however, to avoid extra tax and customs charges getting slapped on.

08
Oct
2003

HURRAH!

Just got confirmation from my mom that she is coming for Christmas! Hurray!!!