So far today

I've made pumpkin bread,

started chili in the crockpot,

finished knitting a washcloth and started on another one,

repotted a plant,

and wrapped a birthday present and a baby present.

I'd say I've had a pretty productive Saturday!  I hope yours is just as productive and enjoyable as mine has been so far!

10 things

I borrowed this post idea from this lovely lady.

1. This weekend my friend Liz from college came to visit with her one year old son.  Besides the fact that it was amazing to see Liz since it's been over a year since I saw her at her baby shower in St. Louis, it was crazy to have her son Niko running around our house.  It totally gave me a glimpse of what having our own child would be like.

2. Our dog Schmoo was really good with Niko, but Niko totally liked the cats more than the dog.  Every time a cat would come into the room he would look at it and start meowing.

3. One of my students brought me a cannoli this morning for no reason.  It was the best cannoli I've ever eaten, but it came from a Greek place, which seems weird to me.

4. I read almost everything that my students read at school aloud to them, which means I'm currently in the middle of The Catcher in the Rye, And Then There Were None, and Mr. Popper's Penguins.

5. I love watching The Voice because I like seeing the judges bicker with each other.  I would totally choose Blake because he is hilarious.

6. Speaking of The Voice, last year CeeLo had a cat when he was doing interviews.  This year he has a bird.  They did show the cat once in the car as he was getting to the studio, but I totally miss the cat.

7. Have you watched the show Breaking Amish?  I watched the first episode and have the second episode saved on my DVR.  I'm not sure how much I'll like it when they actually go to New York, but the first episode was so interesting.

8. Can you tell I've been watching too much TV?

9. Last week, Schmoo was barking at something outside.  I went outside to see what it was and saw him doing the walk forward and back up because I'm scared thing that dogs do.  What was he barking at?  A flower.  I figured it out when he finally sniffed it and then stopped freaking out.

10. I'm in the middle of reading Les Miserables in hopes that I'll finish it before the movie comes out.  I really like the parts that actually have a plot, but I would totally cut out the 20-30 page chunks that describe things like Waterloo or convents, which barely tie into the plot.

This week I've been working on two projects.

I started a new prayer shawl, which is knit in squares and then pieced together.  That lets me knit it a square at a time and makes me feel like I'm making a lot of progress.

I started reading Les Miserables.  I'm always wary of reading "classics" because I have been so thoroughly unimpressed by some of them.  (The Old Man and the Sea to name one...)  But so far I'm really enjoying Les Miserables.  I don't know if it's the fact that I don't really know the story so it's full of twists and turns or that I feel really accomplished for reading it because it's such a long book to read. Either way, I feel like I can't get enough of it lately.

Why Schmoo (and other dogs) are wonderful

"One of the greatest gifts we receive from dogs is the tenderness they evoke in us.  The disappointments of life, the injustices, the battering events that are beyond our control, and the betrayals that we endure from those we befriended and loved can make us cynical and turn our hearts into flint on which only the matches of anger and bitterness can be struck into flame.  Other companion animals can make us more human, but because of the unique nature of dogs - their clear delight in being with us, the rejoicing with which they greet us when we come home to them, the reliable sunniness of their disposition, the joy they bring to playtime, the curiosity and wonder with which they embrace each new experience - they can melt away cynicism and sweeten a bitter heart." - from A Big Little Life by Dean Koontz