Weekend Domestic Diva

I spent the weekend in a flurry of domestic fury. After a nice happy hour with my labmates on Friday evening at The Newsroom downtown I went into full crafty mode.

I picked strawberries on Saturday morning at the Bauer Berry Farm- I got 12 lbs.!

They were delicious- and particularly good this year due to a cool wet spring! I crushed lots of them sugar with lemon juice and froze them and the others I am eating- well, I'm eating the ones I didn't turn into strawberry daiquiris with a recipe from Big R. I'm planning on cooking the heck out of one of the frozen batches tomorrow so I can put them in a cake for Wednesday (one of my labmates is defending on Tuesday and we are having a lab celebration on Wednesday).

I also found some of my old beads and made myself a black and white necklace and earrings- it is cheaper than buying them that's for sure! The beading isn't as hard as I thought it might be and I love the jewelry.

I ALSO finished the first of the baby projects- no pics of it yet as I'm not giving away sneak peeks until they are given...

Hope you are all well- I love reading comments or emails!

There's Something in the Water- still....

The count is up to 5 close friends/family plus 2 more not as close friends/acquaintances. I just thought I'd share!

There's Something in the Water

Well, I now have 4- count 'em- 4 pregnant friends who are all due late fall/early winter. If you are one of those pregnant friends I am extremely happy for you and can't wait to meet the new addition to your family! If, on the other hand, you are of child bearing years and not pregnant I'm issuing a warning- be careful of the water you drink. I believe that it may be contaminated with some magical pregnancy-inducing compound. That is the only way I can figure out how so many of my close friends are expecting all at the same time! I have begun a massive knitting campaign. It is going well and keeps me out of trouble during most of my bus rides and evenings... I can't wait for pics of the babies!

The Golden Gopher

I had the pleasure of "New Employee Orentation" today- it really wasn't that bad- except that I had to get up at an ungodly hour of the morning. On a positive note, to show for my efforts, I got to get my picture taken with Goldie- the UM mascot.

This is what Wickipedia has to say about Goldie:

The Gopher mascot is a tradition as old as the state. Minnesota was tabbed the “Gopher State” in 1857 after a satirizing cartoon, depicting nine Gophers with the heads of local politicians pulling a locomotive, was published. The story was over legislative action for a $5 million railroad proposal in western Minnesota. Later, the University picked up the nickname.
The “Golden” adjective has not always been a part of the Gopher nickname. During the 1930s, the Gophers wore gold jerseys and pants. Legendary KSTP-AM radio announcer Halsey Hall coined the term “Golden Gophers” in reference to the team’s all-gold attire on the field.

I also discovered today that all of that living on the beach has destroyed the brakes on my car. I knew it was going to happen but there it is- a warning to you in Port Aransas- your brake pads will wear faster there because of the salt in the air...

'Tis the time for hayfever

I've got no pics you you all this week- sorry. I've been pretty sick with allergies- the Claritin and Allegra no longer work for me so I'm onto Zyrtec-D. It seems to be doing the job though I'm still all phlegmy. The weekend was mostly business- errands and such- and while the weather has been gorgeous (75 and sunny), I've been too sick to really enjoy it. I have been enjoying my walk home from the bus stop, though, in the evenings.
I've got a "new employee event" Wednesday morning and I think that we have photo opportunities with the Golden Gopher (the UM mascot- vicious I know!). I'll try to get a pic to put up... Hope you are all well!

Settling In

I'm really starting to settle in- I have MN plates for my car (it is really strange to see- I feel a bit like a Winter Texan every time I see my car!).

I also got my diploma! I didn't expect it so soon but there it was on my doorstep on Thursday evening!

I've survived my first week of work. Monday and Tuesday were hard with all of the paperwork and online training- staring at a computer screen all day is exhausting.

I finally got a handle on my project and had a good meeting with my boss, Carol, on Friday to plan some simple experiments for the coming week to get me into the swing of things.

I even have some semblance of a morning routine! I almost had it all together on Friday morning- the only thing I forgot was a fork for my lunch- my goal is to get the coffee, breakfast and complete lunch accomplished at some point this week...

I even had some time for a craft this weekend!! I wanted a summer wreath (the shell one I made in TX grew mold) and I couldn't find one that I liked so I gave myself $20 at Michael's and made my own- I'm not allowed to hang anything outside my door so it is on the inside.... At least I get to enjoy it every morning.

I hope you are all well- I'm sending out change of address post cards this week- I hope to hear from you all!

PS. Smokey says Hi!

Hail

Well, I survived my first real hail storm on Saturday with no casualties. There was about 10 minutes of heavy, pea-moth ball size hail. The ground was completely white and poor Smokey freaked out and hid under the bed because of the noise. I've also gotten completely lost for the first time! I ended up in St. Paul on my way to church this morning!!! Wish me luck at my first day of work tomorrow...