April Thingies

Goodness, I have really dropped the ball on blogging.  There's certainly no lack of material...just a lack of time.

I cooked up some fenugreek last week.  It's a legume and tastes nicely sweet.  No wonder it's used as forage for livestock, yummy!

That whole basket of fenugreek leaves cooked down into about 1/2 a cup.  I just mixed it into naan dough.

We've started packing up the house (dining room first so we're now eating out on the patio or on patio furniture that's been hauled into the empty dining room).

While packing up the dining room I found this magnum of zinfandel, given to us at our wedding by a winemaker friend.  It was supposed to be 'ready' about 1.5 years ago.  It was not very good by now, unfortunately so we didn't drink much.  I think the rest will turn into sangria for this coming weekend.

Happy almost 7 years!

The Forests and Society class I've been TAing for over the last few years started at the beginning of April so I've been busy preparing for and teaching that class.  This year is nicer, though, because I'm sharing the thrice-weekly discussion sections with another TA so I only have to teach them every other week.

Dave has been very diligent with working on the Coast House kitchen most nights after work.  Having internet there now makes all the difference because he can still gchat with Eddie and I while he works, and he can listen to Pandora, too.  On the weekends he's been plowing ahead with our hall bathroom tiling project.  I think he's due to begin tiling this coming weekend!

Dave got the cement board up in the bathroom!

I'm trying SO HARD to focus on writing the first manuscript/chapter of my dissertation.  Why can I willingly spend so much brain power, energy, enthusiasm, and time on my elaborate cooking projects but none of those traits on writing?  What's wrong with me?  I'm so easily distracted.  A family friend commented to me and my parents that with all the food and project pictures I post on Facebook, she thinks of me as a 'miracle woman.'  Ha.  I said I'm just too easily distracted from what I should be doing (writing).  My dad laughed and said, "Yeah, if she ever gets that dissertation done, that'll be a miracle!"  Indeed.

Last week my uncle underwent what was supposed to be a relatively minor kidney surgery and instead it went wrong.  All kinds of wrong.  So he's been in the ICU for nearly a week and my mom and I have spent a lot of time in the hospital room supporting him, my aunt, and my cousin.  Ug.

Us Halliday cousins got together at our house in Davis yesterday.  Mike is down here to be with his dad while he's in the hospital.  It was nice for him to get away from the hospital for a bit and for all of us to catch up.

This sweet goldendoodle doggie named Ollie came to visit patients and visitors in the Mercy San Juan ICU last week.  He was so sweet.

Edward and Jennifer came to visit this weekend so they could go see my uncle in the hospital.  On Sunday we biked the Davis Bike Loop in about an hour.  I look like a hunchback in this photo because I have bad posture and my handbar stem is too short.  

My mom has been at our house a lot lately.  I can't even remember why she was here last weekend but now she's back so she can be close to my uncle.  Having her around is great because Eddie gets to hang out with her...and she cleans the kitchen (even the top of the stove!) and folds all our laundry.

Eddie and my mom snuggle up to read quite often.  Poor Grandma Jane had to read that Stone Soup book way too many times in a row.

 And Eddie is still his active, adorable, wonderful, stubborn little self.  Nothing makes him happier than to play outside with his big kid friends.  

Eddie and the neighbor kids made a giant mud hole in the front yard.  It kept them busy for quite some time.

This coming Saturday is the 99th annual Picnic Day at school.  I think Eddie and I will attend this year while Dave works on the house.  The new stove and microwave for the Coast House Kitchen should be delivered so we can load that up into my dad's big red truck and trailer if that happens to also arrive at our house.  If....no pressure, Daddy!