Okay...that's enough

Winter, I'm done with you. Be Gone!

Even if the snow was pretty today, I despised it. The day was too cold.

My office is freezing.

April begins in 2 days. We don't have a place for snow in April. No more, I beg of you.

Leave us alone.

Spring Break in a Nutshell

Spring Break was a busy week. But with all good things.

We had a parental birthday party back home with the whole fam. It was awesome...and now, so many children!

Clearly, Dad had no idea what to do

with his new Kindle. I love this expression!

Mom is pumped about her new, extremely heavy

marble rolling pin.

Jane obviously enjoying the birthday party.

The two oldest granddaughters with their Papa.

Maddie helped with the cake and was very proud.

They are so grown up!

I made it a long weekend at home, coming back just in time to make lots of food for friends with new babies. Here's a list of all the food items I made this week:

• Spinach Egg casserole and multiple pots of coffee
• Cinnamon coffee cake (double batch for extra yummies)
• Meatloaf and mashed potatoes with steamed veggies
• Lentil Rice bake with ham, veggies, and fruit salad (for 1 family)
• Pizza rice casserole, garlic bread, veggies, and cookies (for 1 family)
• Savory ham and rice, veggies, fruit salad, and cookies (for another family)
• Smoked ham and cheese tortilla with chopped boiled egg

I also had homework to catch up on for class on Thursday, had some work preparation to do for next week, had a specialist doctor's appointment in town (relatively speaking) on Tuesday, a second opinion in Chicago on Saturday morning, and tried to find time for working out and Bible reading. It was a lot to cram into one week that was supposed to be about rest. But, every piece of this week was well worth it:

• I spent quality time with my entire family.
• I helped out three families who are probably exhausted and needing to not have to think about dinner.
• I have found some resolution (in theory) to my nerve/leg/hip problems that have been bothering me (to put it lightly) over the last 8 months.
• I even managed to take better care of myself and feed my husband something worth eating.

There is a lot facing me in the next two weeks. It's a busy time of semester at work. It's a busy time of semester in school. We're beginning to see friends again (after a couple-week break). It's Wilson family birthday season (which includes Kyle's birthday). Needless to say, there is a lot on my mind.

I find myself so grateful for good friends and loving family, for random times to process and other times to just get through, for my kitty (who is precious a great deal of the time), for loving what I do and what I'm studying, for having enough, even more than enough. And, for being blessed so that I can bless others. Even as I sit here in a great deal of pain, not knowing when the pain will end and when I can attempt to get back into shape, I can say God is good. I feel his love; I see his work. And for tonight, for this week, this year, this life, that is enough.

Why I Heart This Weekend

Kyle and I found ourselves in the first weekend we can remember this year (2011) in which we had no pressing engagements. We decided to treat ourselves with delicious new recipes, movies, and relaxing.

We began the weekend by sleeping in until 9am. A rarity for me, it felt amazing to get so much sleep. Kyle scheduled haircuts with our local hairdresser for 10:30a on Saturday. It was the first time she'd ever seen us together and we had a great time chatting it up while we both got our hair cut. Another great feeling.

I love grocery shopping. People might think it's absurd, but I love menu planning, making a list in order of how the ingredients are located in the store, going in and grabbing everything and timing the whole store-run. I also love seeing how many things I can buy on sale. This weekend I was able to stock up on canned tomatoes. I love it! I, therefore, had a lovely outing to the store, and upon my arrival back home, I set Kyle to trimming and cubing a pork loin for a new dish described by Emily on the GOFR. It's a divine crock meal, I might add. New flavors, perfect combo. But that was not the only culinary art created yesterday. I made two loaves of banana bread, both overflowing (literally) with goodness, one specifically with mini chocolate chips. Delicious!

We accomplished much in the food-prep and kitchen-clean-up, which always helps me feel better about my house and my life, incidentally. Kyle went to the nearby RedBox to grab the new Robin Hood with Russell Crowe and The Sorcerer's Apprentice with Nicolas Cage on Blu-ray. Both were highly entertaining. While I'm not a Crowe fan in the least, this take on how Robin Hood came to be an outlaw is phenomenal. Well worth a watch. The other was purely entertaining, very funny, and displayed lots of cool magic. We were so relaxed; the day was perfect (and sunshiny, too).

Today dawned and I realized we lost an hour of sleep, which was unpleasant, but we rebounded well. After church we stopped by Culver's for lunch where I was able to satiate a craving I didn't even know I was having: breaded pork tenderloin! I love them and this one (with pickle, tomato, and lots of ketchup) was awesome. We had another afternoon of cooking and cleaning up the kitchen, this time Stephanie's recipe for Chipotle Mexican Meatballs. With Kyle home, he got to do the dirty work of sticking his hands in raw beef: he loved it! I got to avoid doing that, which I loved! Tomorrow, we'll be making guacamole (first time ever), chopping some tomatoes, sauteing red & green peppers and an onion, and serving this all (with the meatballs) on tiny tortillas. We can hardly wait.

I finished my day with Bible Study, which is so uplifting. I'm so grateful for this group of women who've allowed me to be a part of their study for four years. It's been a fun and meaningful time for me.

Needless to say, as you can probably guess, I don't want this weekend to end (which is why I'm still awake and writing this ridiculous post). Oh well...I get to see my nieces, nephew, sister, and brother-in-law this week, and that, my friends, is enough to make this week worth starting!

The Quest for Sleep, Update

We have clearly figured out that the last method described (2 gates + 1 folded card table on its side) is the very best and most effective at keeping Quincy in his part of the house and letting us sleep peacefully. We have had no other incidents. It's been blissful. I've been sleeping a ton (as in going to bed with Kyle between 9 and 10:30p and waking up at 6:30a), and I'm feeling much better about pretty much everything in life.

We are still insanely busy, just hoping for March to go by quickly while letting us enjoy the few trips back home to see family for birthdays, a Spring Break for me, and hopefully getting together with some friends (maybe...still don't know if that can happen with our weekend schedules).

I have a story I need to recount to you about my day last Thursday, but, in truth, I also have a paper to write by Thursday at 4pm. I think the paper takes precedence, considering the state of mess it's currently in.

Today, Kyle worked 14.5 hours. Yes, he really did. Trying to make up time for his "snow day" last Friday. Bless him. If you think of it, say a prayer for the man. With his 2-nights-per-week class and his 10 hour work days, he's about dead by now. Which is why we want March to pass by quickly. He will be done with the class at the end of March.

Until I can get back to you to regale you with the story of my last Thursday in February, I wish you well and good health.

The Quest for Sleep, parts 5 and 6

Sunday evening, we struck gold.

Kyle realized that almost the only way we could prevent Q. from climbing would be to block off the lower half of the tower o' gates. To do this, we employed the card table. When it is folded up and on its side, it provides an adequate barrier, too high for Quincy to jump above and too smooth for him to climb. We were very much counting on this working.

Monday morning, we awoke to Kyle's 4:45a alarm. I think we both might have smiled sleepily, thanking God and Quincy for an undisturbed night of sleep. I rolled over, attempting a few more hours before I needed to arise.

But, at 6am (a mere 30 minutes prior to my alarm), the scritch-scratching began. Since I'd had an unprecedented night's sleep, I lay awake but still, wondering how long he truly could keep it up. Thirty minutes later, I couldn't stand it anymore, and it was time for me to get ready for the day. During that stint, he paused a few times for a few minutes each, just enough for me to begin to doze, and then he'd start up again, with more vigor. Eventually, it did reach the knocking stage.

When I told Kyle this part, his answer was that he should put the bottom gate up with the card table leaning against it when he leaves in the morning. If that works, we might be able to drop the top, plastic gate altogether.

So, that's what he did this morning, and you know what, Quincy didn't bother me. He was happy to see me from the other side of the gate this morning.

I'm not willing to say we've found a 100% fool-proof way to keep him at bay while we sleep. But I will say that for last night, it worked like a charm. I feel more rested than I could have imagined a few weeks ago. It's awesome.

Evidence

In an effort to demonstrate Quincy's above-average cat-intelligence, I give you the following evidence.

While you will be tempted to think these are set up, I assure you that I have found in the past two months each of these displays. In truth, Quincy has created these on his own and is either leaving them for us to find or is saving these small, perhaps the choicest, pieces for a snack in case we don't feed him.

This is what I found on Thursday after work:

How, exactly, does a cat even do that?

I might suggest that a cat with opposable thumbs

(I've seen 2 of them this winter) could, by who would?

I guess it might be fitting that a cat belonging to Kyle and Myself would have some intensely OCD tendencies. It's apparent Quincy does.

These are ones I have found previously, and are almost as unbelievable as the above, although I really think the 3 in a row on that slim ledge takes the cake. You decide. Is this ridiculous and kind of amazing at the same time?

This one, three in the corner, is the most common one I find.

When he decides to snack on them, he will pull each, individually out with his paw.

I've watched him do that time and again, although I've never seen him arrange them.

Here is a surprising one I found last week. 1 in each corner.

Maybe he's an artist at heart.

The Quest for Sleep, part 4

Last night Kyle and I had a date night. This doesn't occur very often for us because, it seems, something always goes awry on date nights. Usually, it involves being late somewhere, a misunderstanding, and then hurt feelings. Maybe we have "date nights" more often than these rarely scheduled ones, but seriously, we kind of avoid them.

We went out of town for dinner, which was lovely. Kyle had a coffee-encrusted New York strip with asparagus covered in Hollandaise sauce, while I had Atlantic Salmon with chile-lime butter sauce, along with corn cooked with cilantro and home-style mac & cheese. We were in heaven. However, I forgot my ID, so the nice bottle of wine we ordered was something that was only served to Kyle and which I had to sneak drinks from throughout the night (that is, I snuck drinks from his glass, not the bottle...oh dear). It is stupid. It is the story of my life. What woman wants to take a purse with her everywhere? Especially on date nights when she knows that her man has his wallet. I hate purses. I never want to carry them. I try not to at all possible chances. And this has led me to forgetting my ID several times when all we want is a glass of wine with dinner. It's so aggravating.

Anyway.

That was the lead-up to bedtime in the Wilson household. We got home late, were once again exhausted (it had been a full day for both of us), and still had to put sheets on the bed and put away our down comforter (because I'm claiming winter is OVER) and find blankets to substitute for covers.

This weekend, I remembered from my childhood that cats hate aluminum foil. The sound of it, the feel of it under their paws...they loathe it. Er...they are supposed to. I've told you many times that Quincy (or Quindle, as my friend Sara likes to call him) is not like other cats. He's smarter, and he's weirder. He loves water, for instance. Even being sprayed in the face with it (thus that form of correction is futile). He also has been known to steal errant pieces of aluminum foil, carry them away from you, and then proceed to lay on them. So, this foil idea was a gamble. I knew this going in. But, come on, I had to try.

I covered the sides of the gates facing Q. with foil, save for one small section which had to slide on the wooden, bottom gate. We both decided that if the entire upper gate is covered, this small section probably didn't matter.

We set them up (same manner as last night) and proceeded to sleep, hard, for just a few hours. See, my sleep pattern has been so disturbed for so long in the 3a-6a range that I wake up sometime or several times during that particular time slot. And, last night, I had a nightmare anyway, so I was awake for a while.

Around 6, there was a terrifying CRASH! followed by the tinny noise of foil shaking for 30 seconds. And then, there was another smaller crash, a few minutes later. We didn't get up. Same thoughts, same words as last night. Same disbelief. This time, Kyle said, "I'm not getting up until he scratches," which was smart. Except I kept picturing him maimed and bleeding on the other side of the bedroom door, inches away, feebly crying but unable to muster something louder. Plus, I really had to go to the bathroom.

I walked out to find the top gate, that plastic devil, laying cast aside on the floor, actually propped up on the still-standing, still-stable wooden one. Quincy was nowhere to be found. I called him several times, looked in the rooms on my side of the gates, but he wasn't there. I felt badly for him, but cursed him at the same time. And I went back to bed.

Circa 8am, the scratching started. I stepped out of the room to see what was up and the Little Devil eeked his way into the room. Kyle was immediately up and flailing his arms, hitting the bed, and chasing Quincy around the bed. When Q. wedged himself between my side of the bed and the wall, Kyle did his best to push him toward the door, which only managed to infuriate said creature. He sped around the bed in another loop of the room. Kyle chased him, yelling, and Quincy turned, stood his ground and hissed like I have only heard him do two times prior (both toward Kyle and his antics to scare him out of a particular space). It was quite the little drama.

My assumption as to what happened last night is that Q. was hiding under his when-I'm-scared-I-feel-safe-here chair in the guest room, and when I called to him, he was too scared to come to me, near as I was to the gates. So, he was behind the gates, with us, but his fear (and perhaps strained and sore muscles) kept him in hiding for two hours.

This, people, is the saga. It continues, of course, because every day is followed by a night, one in which we seriously ask ourselves...what do you we this time? We're getting pretty creative, as you have heard. Sometimes it seems only a door will keep this social kitty from bothering us. Not our bedroom door (oooh, the scratching), but another door perhaps in the kitchen or laundry room. Are we really going to have to buy a door? Oh my gosh. This pet is starting to get expensive.