I'm inclined to think it doesn't. But hey, they were tasty just the same.

I'm on my last session of marking for this semester. I let things pile up a bit too much, even though I promised myself I wouldn't this time, and now I'm paying for it. Paying in hours of missed sleep, that is...

On top of that, I'm still pretty sick with this nasty cold, and it's made my back seize up as well. This is really not a week of fun, but I'm looking forward to it being over tomorrow! One more week of pregnancy down, as well--we're twenty-nine weeks in, as of tomorrow!

OK, I have to get back to marking. But I promise that as soon as that is over with, I'll focus on some more creative projects that have currently been put on hold. Maybe I'll even manage to write something interesting here instead of just whining...as soon as this cold clears up. ; )

Well, here I am at the end of my second sick-day, and while I still feel pretty crappy I am determined to get into work tomorrow and get started on the second semester. I can't really waste any time, really; I only have forty-five possible teaching days before my maternity leave starts, and I'm almost certain to lose some to snow days or appointments. I can't believe how soon this semester will be over for me, really!

I spent most of today taking it easy and getting some marking done. I really feel pretty miserable, and my back is very stiff and seized up. I'm hoping a good sleep tonight will work some kind of miracle on it all. This is the first time I've been sick since getting pregnant, and I'm pretty much ready to be finished with the whole experience. I want to be able to get moving agin; I find that even a day or two of inactivity totally kills my energy levels.

As this has been a busy and low-energy week (terrible combination!), I haven't really had any time for creative activities (aside from growing a baby, of course, but that's pretty hands-off at this stage of the game). I'm looking forward to the weekend, when I might be able to get some sewing or something done. I really want to finish my maternity pj's...preferably while I'm still pregnant!

I have been meaning to sneak in a bit of reading. I'm reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and so far it's been pretty entertaining. I don't think it really holds up to the original, which is one of my favourite indulgences, but it is funny, and I'm finding it interesting to see how the author has worked the undead into Jane Austen's landscape. I am finding it a little hard to envision Lady Catherine hosting a dojo full of ninjas, although the image of her violently destroying the walking dead is actually not much of an imaginative stretch.

Now I'm off to get ready for bed...where I will, I hope, sleep a long and peaceful sleep and awaken pain- and sniffle-free!

Blame it on the terrible cold I'm fighting, or the fact that my head is stuffed with new-semester planning. Blame it on baby brain...although I seem to have gotten past that stage of things. Blame it on whatever you want...but it looks like I have failed at NaBloPoMo this month only two days in! I had every intention of posting last night, but I completely forgot. Maybe I can do two today to make up for it?

I called in sick yesterday, as I have a terrible cold and sore throat that also seems to be causing a lot of stiffness in my back. It was just as well that I didn't go in, in the end, as the weather was terrible and school ended up being cancelled almost immediately after everyone arrived. So, on the upside, this cold has saved me a nasty drive to and from work. On the downside, I feel miserable and can barely get around because my back is so sore.

I finally installed Windows 7 on my Dell Studio15 yesterday, and I have to say I'm impressed so far. I had been meaning to do it for a while, but kept putting it off; what finally pushed me to do it was the fact that my keyboard was having some issues and missing a lot of keystrokes. Happily, the new installation seems to have fixed the problem--for now, at least. I also like how Windows 7 handles windows, and it has some smart little features that are actually simplifying somethings--not just trying to simplify things and actually making them harder, as Microsoft products usually do.

Today I am home sick again. I'm hoping to get a bit better by tomorrow--it's a terrible time to be missing school, as the new semester is starting and I really don't have that many teaching days left before my leave anyway. I'd like to get in and get started on some things. This isn't shaping up to be a particularly exciting day, as I'm planning to rest as much as possible, but I suppose I'll post again later to sort of get myself back on track with the posting every day thing.

Lately I feel as if I'm standing in the giant cereal aisle of life, being completely overwhelmed by the options that present themselves. I mean, it's nice to have choices, and it's fantastic to be doing big life things that we want to be doing, but between the baby and the house, I feel as if my decision-making capacity has been exceeded. Add to that the fact that it's semester turn-around time and I'm trying to decide what to try to accomplish in my courses before I hand over the reins and go on maternity leave, and my brain is just about on overload.

On the upside, we have lately made some key decisions regarding the house--largely because the time is simply getting too short to shilly-shally any longer. We have most of our painting done, which is a huge relief as it took a long time for us to decide on colours. We also picked out trim and countertop, and have almost decided on vanities for the bathrooms. I will be relieved when this is all over, though--I'm ready to move in! In preparation for the big move, I've been trying to get some sorting done in the house, and I've been purging a lot of junk. It feels great to get rid of some stuff! I think part of this cleaning drive may also be my nesting instinct kicking in. I just want to sort, clean, and get everything in order for the move and the arrival of the baby!

The downside of all of this--and of the crazy upheaval of the end of the semester--is that I haven't had much time for the kinds of projects I want to be working on. I have a pair of pajamas mostly cut out...but not put together. I have the beginnings of an appliquéed bag done...but still all the stitching and the putting together to do. I just want some time to work on these and other projects! Maybe next weekend....

We've also made the decision to cloth-diaper the baby. We did a lot of research and had a chat with a very nice lady at Nurtured (an awesome store on Robie St. in Halifax--check it out!), and we've really decided that it's the right option for us. Considering the economic and ecologic savings, as well as the health benefits for the baby, it was pretty much impossible to make any other decision. And really, cloth diaper are pretty cool now! There are a lot of options, which of course get increasingly expensive as they get increasingly convenient. However, they're still much, much cheaper than disposables. We've ordered a kit of prefolds and plan to get some all-in-ones (the convenient, pricier model) for times when we're out or when other people have the baby. I know it'll be more work, but I'll be home for a year with the baby, and I refuse to believe that we're too wimpy to deal with the challenges. One more step towards parenthood...now if only we could decide on some names!

It's a new year, one with big changes ahead, and I'm determined to give this blogging thing another try. Maybe that's a little insane, seeing as I'll be moving into a new house within the next three months and having a baby within the next four...but hey, that's kind of how I like to do things.

This time around, I'm hoping that some focus will help me actually stay on track and get things posted. I'm also hoping that the blog and some other projects I want to undertake will feed each other. I want this year to be a more productive one in terms of creative/otherwise-productive projects like reading, writing, art, sewing, organizing recipes and cooking more...and so on. (I realize this may be a very ill-considered hope since the baby will take up most of my time, but still...I can dream.) So, while I'm sure this blog will sometimes deviate into the realm of daily happenings--especially around house- and baby-time--I'm also going to use it as a spot to reflect on things I'm reading, watching, listening to, creating, and doing. And next month, to keep myself extra motivated, I'm going to try NaBloPoMo. (Is it cheating to do that in February? Hee hee hee...)

I wish I could say that I spent the last several months backpacking in Europe, taming wild horses in the desert, or trying to escape from the alien ship that abducted me--but sadly, my excuses for not blogging are much more mundane. I'm back, though, with this Cool Name Meme that I took from Sherry's blog. Enjoy!

1. My rock star name (first pet and current car)

Sparky Civic

2. My gangsta name (favourite ice cream flavour plus cookie, or biscuit)

Chocolate Chip Mint Shortbread (I think I'd be hard-pressed to find a gang...)

3. My fly girl name (first letter of first name, first three letters of last name)

K-Mil (before I was married, I would have been the much-cooler K-Mac)

4. My detective name (favourite colour, favourite animal)

Blue Horse

5. My soap opera name (middle name, city of birth)

Colleen North Sydney (yikes!) (At least, I think that's technically where I was born...)

6. My Star Wars name (first three letters of your last name, first two of your first name)

Mil-Kr (That's right, I work at the galactic dairy farm)

7. My superhero name (second favourite colour, favourite drink, add “the”)

The Pink Rye'n'Ginger (almost sounds like a disease)

8. My Nascar name (the first names of your grandfathers)

George Russell

9. My stripper name (favourite perfume, favourite sweet)

White Musk Chocolate (whoa...classy or what? :)

10. My witness protection name (mother’s and father’s middle names)

Lillian Francis

11. My weather anchor name (fifth grade teacher’s last name, a major city beginning with the same letter)

Bailey Baltimore (this is a great name!)

12. My spy name (favourite season/flower)

Summer Lily

13. Cartoon name (favourite fruit plus garment you’re wearing, with an “ie” or “y” added)

Peach Sockie (sounds like I'd be spunky!)

14. Hippie name (what you ate for breakfast plus favourite tree)

Toast Oak (this is hilarious)

15. Your rockstar tour name (favourite hobby plus favourite weather element, with “the” and “tour”)

The Reading Sunshine Tour (Hee hee hee--Sherry, I just looked at your answer to this--guess we're pretty similar!)

This was a meme I found and did on Facebook, but I thought it was funny so I'm reposting it here.

Go to Google and type in quotation marks your name and then "likes to" (ex. "Tom likes to"). Type in the first ten things that come up and repost in your own note.

1. When not working, Krista likes to go camping and hiking. (true enough)

2. Krista likes to match wits with others. (true at times...though this often results in losing...)

3. Having grown up in many different countries, Krista likes to think of herself as a citizen of the world. (uh...no)

4. Krista likes to work with a variety of fabrics, such as coated linen, ultra suede, and denim, then add special trimming to complete each bag. (sounds like fun)

5. In her spare time Krista likes to listen to music, read, play the drums, and sleep. (everything but the bit about the drums)

6. Krista likes to swim and play soccer. (swimming good...soccer bad)

7. When not rooting on the Tigers, Krista likes to watch The Price is Right and cheer for the Yankees. ( ha ha ha ha ha...)

8. Krista likes to climb the jungle gym at the park. (um...maybe?)

9. Her friend, Krista likes to take milk bathes and so she and the Frankenstein girl go off to the old, deserted caves to take a gratuitous dip in the hot springs that's inside one of the caves. (riiiight...)

10. In her free time, Krista likes to write, hike, ski and be outside. (haven't skiied in years, but sure)

Tag! You're it!