adazzle,dim

AB to me: “Oh, you’re playing laundry!”

(Naturally, I let her “play” too. :P )

We were back at the doctor today for a follow-up visit. The antibiotic shot AB had yesterday made a tremendous difference. We’ve started a 10-day course of Amoxicillin, and she has to stay home from Mimi’s one more day. Right now she’s napping.

I’m working a little from home and trying to get some stuff done around the house, too. I’m just making the best of things; what else can you do?

There are plumbers in the house today installing our bathtub and running a line for the icemaker. After two years of showers, including a year with an uninstalled tub haunting taunting (ed: One letter makes a big difference, eh?) me from the guest bedroom, I am soooo looking forward to testing the tub. I’ll post pictures tonight - maybe tomorrow, since the plumbers are tracking mud all over my freshly-mopped floor. Grr.

Oh, and - Huge congratulations to Laura for getting into your doctoral program! I knew you could do it, and I am so proud of you for making it happen!!! I’m looking forward to the first time I’ll get to call you Dr. Laura.

xo,KJ

We just got back from the doctor, and AB has pneumonia. She’s resting now after a trying ordeal of bloodwork, x-rays, an antibiotic shot, and a vomitous reaction.

I just finished antibiotics for bronchitis, and Joey started a course last night for a bacterial sinus/ear infection. We’re a fun bunch this week.

Think good thoughts for us, please. Especially for my poor little Doog, who doesn’t know what’s hit her.

I just went out in the hall and noticed AB’s light on… Went in to check on her as it is, mind you, three hours past bedtime. I found her thusly, and I promise I didn’t rearrange a single inch. And I love that the bow she had put in her hair perfectly matches her jammies. That’s my girl! :)

We took AB to the Holiday in Dixie Parade and Carnival yesterday evening, and we had a blast. Pictures on Flickr, as per usual, but here are a few of my faves.

Me and AB taking a MySpace-style arm’s-length shot of ourselves while waiting for the parade to start:

AB and the little girl whose family was next to us were so cute together, we had to get a picture. One of the best parts of being a Mommy is making new friends wherever we go. :) Of course, we never did get both girls to smile at the same time, but I love the look on AB’s face here:

And at the carnival, ohmygosh! I thought AB would be scared to go on the rides, but she ate up the great big slide and the Jumping Jumbos:

Oh, and the inevitable 101 progress: #4 Take AB to six parades. (1/6) :)

Posted pics of our visit from Aunt Nikki, Aunt Lydi, Uncle Sam, and Great Grandma Motoko on Flickr.

My favorite pic of AB:

The rest:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/adazzledim/sets/72157604516986184/

Chicken and Vegetable Burritos

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium carrot, cut in half then into thin half-moons

1 large sweet green pepper, diced

1 T olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 (14.5 oz) can stewed tomatoes

1 medium zucchini, cut in half then into thin half-moons

1 c chicken broth

1 pkg taco seasoning

½ tsp salt

1 lb ground chicken (I use cubed chicken breasts)

1 c instant white rice

1 pkg (8) burrito-size tortillas

8 oz. shredded taco cheese

Salsa beans (recipe follows)

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, and green pepper; sauté until soft, about 6 minutes. Add chicken and garlic. Cook until chicken is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, zucchini, broth, taco seasoning , and salt. Cook, covered, four minutes, just until zucchini is tender. Remove from heat and stir in rice. Cover and let stand five minutes. Heat oven to 375. Spoon about ¾ cup filling into each tortilla. Wrap. Place, seam side down, in 13X9 dish. Sprinkle with taco cheese. Heat in 375-degree oven 10 minutes, until heated through.

Salsa Beans: Combine 15-oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed; 15.5-oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed., ¾ cup salsa, and ¼ tsp salt in saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat about five minutes.

I love, love, love receiving unexpected packages. Especially when they contain presents off my Amazon wishlist, and even more especially when the presents are not only for me but also for my family and most especially when they are from a friend who I thought had dropped off the face of the planet. Thanks! :)

J: (bewildered) You really want to replace all the handles on the kitchen cabinets before my family visits?

K: I really do. You’ll be surprised what a difference it will make in how the kitchen looks.

J: Think about who you’re talking to here.

K: (pointedly) You will pretend to be surprised…!

Congratulations to Samantha on getting into your PhD program!!!!! I’m so proud of you, excited for you, and jealous!

Biostatistics. heh. Nerd!

xo,KJ

#85: Stay in 5 nice and/or unique hotels. Blog them. (2/5)

Every year J’s company sends the top 10% of its’ sales force on an all-expenses-paid trip somewhere fabulous. It’s my personal opinion that they will never, ever, ever top last year’s trip to Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island, Bahamas… but I still didn’t turn down this year’s trip to Orlando. :) We stayed at the Grande Lakes Resort for four sun-soaked days and three wine-soaked nights. :P The trip included a park-hopper pass to Disney World, which we made 13 hours’ use of in Magic Kingdom, Epcot and MGM Hollywood Studios. (There were other options: the space center, golf, the Ritz-Carlton spa, Universal Studios… but nothing to match Disney World as far as we were concerned. J. had never been before.)

Anyway, the hotel. You know, every time I stay in these resort hotels I am tempted to be disgusted by the excess. Fancy fountains, fancy marble foyers, fancy shops, fancy landscaping. Fancy beds, fancy fixtures, fancy tubs, fancy dressers.  But then after a day or so, the luxury just becomes comfort. Who cares if the bed is ridiculously fancy or expensive when it is the most luxuriously soft mattress I’ve ever slept on? Who cares if the bathroom fixtures cost as much as my house (and I really don’t think this is hyperbole) when the tub is so deep and warm and bubble-friendly? Allowing yourself to succumb to the pampering for awhile is good for the soul.

The best parts of this hotel? Well, the mattress. Yes, the tub. Tuxedo chocolate-dipped strawberries waiting in the room. A lazy river pool behind the hotel.
The worst part? You might think I’m nuts, but the staff was *too* attentive - almost intrusive. No, thank you, we don’t need turn-down service. Ok, if you insist, I’ll take the mints, but really, I can turn down the covers myself. Really. Oh, and, please, dear maid, stop bagging up the clothes I’ve left draped over the chair. I know I should appreciate you saving me the trouble of gathering my own laundry, but I was gonna wear that dress again. kthx.

I don’t mean to sound ungrateful (though I’m aware that I probably do), but I *like* doing stuff for myself. And it feels kind of dirty having someone in a little French maid outfit doing things for me that I feel I should be doing myself. I did appreciate the maid who zipped up my dress for me when Joey had already gone downstairs while I got ready. And told me that I looked beautiful. Yeah, that I feel ok about paying for. :P

(How much would I pay to go back now that I’ve seen my to-do list for this month, which includes the year’s heaviest monthly workload, the last few weeks of classes, finals, and a visit from family that I have to somehow be ready for in a week? BTW, if you know someone who’d like to earn some extra money by spring-cleaning my house this weekend, call me. No, I’m not kidding.)

xo,KJ