This posting was started on Monday, finished on Thursday. Another crazy week here, need about 12 more hours in my day.

Hi guys. Monday afternoon here. Have been trying to be productive today, just taking a break. Leaving to pick up the boys in a half hour so I won't be here long. My day started out like every other Monday, with my voice raised and my patience absolutely gone by the time I got the boys out the door for school. Why does every morning have to be a friggin' battle? Better question - how the hell am I going to survive another fifteen years of this business? I mean, how difficult is it to get up, get dressed, brush the teeth/hair, and put a pair of shoes on? Have tried everything with them - waking up earlier, waking up later, rewarding them, punishing them, letting them be late, etc.. Morning continues - my car is in the shop (lovely accident last Wednesday between a rock and my oil pan), my other car (the duck) doesn't start because I'm still flooding it most of the time, my hair looks like I stuck my finger in an electrical outlet (make that three outlets), and I have no mobile phone because I left it at a friends over the weekend. Thus begins the typical Monday for me.

Anyway, proceeded to borrow the babysitter's car and head down to Keira's nursery school/kindergarten, where I am teaching English every Monday morning. That turned my morning around and made me feel like I was actually accomplishing something. Interesting that I so rarely feel that with my own children. Hmmmm. The kids at the school are hilarious, three groups of them ranging from two to six years old. We are singing the classics (the Hokey Pokey is their favorite - not sure if that actually constitutes a classic or not), learning colors, numbers, animals, etc.. and they are surprisingly getting something out of it. I'm not a trained teacher, not trained in much actually, but I enjoy it. Came home, succeeded in getting the duck started, cleaned out the office, installed my new scanner, copied some recipes, made a shopping list, caught up on a few emails, downloaded the OSU vs. Michigan game to my iPod, and am now on a roll. For those of you who caught the game Saturday or know how it ended up, please don't tell me. I have been avoiding the TV, internet, telephone, etc. . since Saturday so that I can sit down tonight and watch the game with anticipation as to who will pull it off. Go Bucks!!! And go iTunes!! Just watched the first five minutes of the coverage and got goose bumps. Very exciting. Geez I hope they win/won. We had planned a great day of football watching at my friend Erika's yesterday, without realizing that the game wouldn't be available for download until late last night. Nevertheless, I downloaded the 1973 OSU-Michigan game, which came as part of the iTunes package or 'season pass', and we watched that. Too funny. The video quality was exactly what it would have been in 1973, not to mention the hair-dos (don'ts). Will be incredibly happy to sit down and watch the real deal tonight.

What else to report since my last entry. The weekend was terribly uneventful, although we did find Marshmallow fluff and other delicacies on a shopping trip to our local (30 km away) gourmet grocer, Culinaris. Bill went in search of baking supplies for his Turkey Day treats and I went looking for something to spice up my dinner repertoire. He found most things he needs for his Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie and Ginger Pumpkin Tart, crystallized ginger and all, and I found lots of yummy ingredients for my new take on Thai and Indian cooking. Actually, most of my efforts involve pastes and things that are pre-made and ready to go - just add chicken. Am going to try a kooky green curry thing tonight though, which contains fish sauce, lime leaves, and other things new to my kitchen. Let you know how it turns out. Hey, I can even post the recipe. Great idea for yet another blog. In other accomplishments, I have made almost half of my Christmas cards. Not a small undertaking, as each one takes me 45 minutes to an hour to make. Not sure that I will get them all done before Bill's leaves for the US on the 5th, so for those of you stateside, if you don't get a handmade one, it means I don't like you quite as much as my other friends. Just kidding. Will make a mental note of who got screwed in the card department and send you a lovely valentine. OK, need to close for now so I can do the school run. Then off to get my little Liam some new trousers. Can't find anything that fits him, everything is too small in the waist or too long in the legs. Will finishing this mind-bogglingly interesting diatribe when I get back. xoxo.

And three days later.....Happy Thanksgiving. Sorry, just never got back to finishing my last post. Have a whopping ten minutes to chat then need to hop in the shower and put the finishing touches on my Turkey Day contributions. We are picking the kids up from school/nursery and then headed to our close friends' place to spend the evening gorging ourselves on the usual. I made Grand Marnier cranberry sauce, mash potatoes (transporting in the crock pot - super idea, thanks Mom), and the tried and true green bean casserole. I can even buy Campbell's condensed cream of mushroom soup here now. No luck with the Durkee fried onions in a can, but I made my own and they are pretty darn close. Bill has been standing in the kitchen in his underwear all day baking. Not sure what that is about, but he is definitely liberated somehow without clothes on and I can watch the stress leave his body as he becomes one with the baked goods. Reading back on that, many of you will just think it's plain weird, but it is truly the one place he finds peace at the moment. Anyway, now that I've scared everyone off - he is done with his desserts as well and we are ready to eat. Hope everyone has a fantastic day and a few minutes to ponder the things they are thankful for. I sure have alot, wish someone could just stand next to me and remind regularly. Will look forward to hearing from lots of you over the holidays. Will also be sending an email in the next few days to try and get everyone's snail mail address, I am determined to send Christmas cards this year. Try to get back and chat a bit more over the weekend. For those of you headed out into the kooky dark morning tomorrow to get the shopping started, I'm so jealous. Really, I love that chaos. Ok, gotta run. xoxo.