Hunger Makes the Best Sauce

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So the common wisdom says. Apparently everything tastes good to the hungry palate.

But when sick, it’s hard to know one is hungry, because smell and taste are linked so closely; even a growling stomach feels muffled to some extent. Tonight I was able to taste my dinner. It was lovely.

I can mostly breathe, smell, and taste again. Almost 100% back to healthy.

And here is Bean, pretending to be a fire-breathing dragon. She’s become much more cooperative with the breathing treatments, especially if she has her father’s fancy phone to play plinky-plink on. Tomorrow we switch to the treatments being twice a day instead of every six hours.

a fire-breathing dragon

Bit By Bit

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I’m slowly recovering. I went to bed at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, and with a few exceptions to get up and eat and check-in, have been unconscious for about 40 of the past 48 hours.

I miss my family. I miss my routine. I’m out of sync. Bean misses me, and so does Hub. I haven’t cooked in more than a week. (I can’t taste anything either.)

Normally I’m pretty hearty! Looking forward to being that way again.

Hub took Bean to a park. All she asks to do anymore is watch television. It’s as though she’s forgotten other things exist. But she is much much better, and was thrilled to leave the house. Her appetite is still small, but her breathing has improved and she coughs less.

I’m going to take a shower to rinse the lethargy off; I will summon some energy to be present for a little while this evening!

February Blah

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Bean seems to be slowly getting better. We now do the alubterol breathing treatment every six hours instead of four, round the clock. She’s fighting them mightily, so she must be getting better! She coughs less and her breathing is clearer — no wheezing. Her eating is still off, and she’s way addicted to the television now. When we’re all healthy we’ll tackle that. She wanted to go for a walk with Daddy yesterday evening but ran out of steam quickly.

Husband is on the tail end of his cold. I, however, caught it too and am in the thick of it. My upper jaw hurts because of sinus pressure. Bleh.

This will pass, and the sun while shine again. (It’s been gray here!)

Technology Ain’t All That

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Since Facebook has decided yet again to reorganize its home page, I find myself disenchanted with it. This latest incarnation provides inconsistent updates and leaves me feeling disconnected from all the folks I call friends. I’ve come to realize that I rely too much on that social network for my feeling of connection with friends.

Facebook, when it works, does allow me to see snippets of friends’ days, and to see the articles and other links they share that are interesting. (I’m on Twitter too, but I dislike the format and hardly use it except to gather or share information. Facebook’s ability to comment on an individual post makes it more relevant.)

However, now that I feel I’m missing updates, and I know others are not seeing mine consistently, I’m left with two questions:

How much to do I really need to be on the Internet, anyway?

Whatever happened to blogging as a means of connection?

Facebook is centralized; whereas I’m not going to be able to get my friends to come read my blog, I can let them see updates at FB.

But I could also email friends directly, blog, call. When they aren’t working correctly, I realize how much of a time suck all these networks are.

Round Two

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Poor Bean. She has pneumonia again. This time, besides the antibiotic, we have been prescribed an Albuterol breathing treatment to give via mask every four hours until the follow-up visit on Thursday morning.

Here’s hoping it’s not asthma she is developing…

Husband is sick too with a cold. Where’s the vitamin C?? I should bathe in it.

Last Day To Bid

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Today is the last day for the To Haiti With Love auction. While I’m pleased that my items have had some bids, I’d like to point out some other products for auction in case hand-knits aren’t your wish.

There is a wide array of books — inspirational books, children’s books, poetry — offered.

Are you looking for a grown-up indulgence, such as a ski weekend in Telluride, handcrafted soaps, a creativity coaching session? Look here.

How about some artwork to hang on the wall in a beloved toddler or baby’s room, or a handmade wood toy, or lovingly crafted clothing? You can find some here.

There is a wide selection of gorgeous fine art photography to bid on.

Perhaps you’re looking for a new journal to write in.

These are just a few items available. Check out the site! All proceeds go to assist St. Joseph’s Family of Homes.

Bidding is easy! Just leave a bid in the comment section for the item you want. More details are here.

Toe-Tapping Music

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On this rainy Saturday, with a feverish, coughing child, I stumbled across this peppy little video. For more of Kristin Andreassen’s music, lookie here! I learned about Kristen from a blog that’s new to me — One Person. Everyday — which, of course, I found via Patti Digh, of the blog called 37 Days.

If the embedded video doesn’t work, click here to see it.

To Haiti With Love

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To Haiti with Love is an online auction of art, photography, papercrafts, clothing, and creative goods. All proceeds will go direct to the St. Joseph’s Family of homes for children in Haiti. There are some gorgeous works and delectable items offered.

The auction opens at 8 AM EST on Monday, February 1, 2010.

The auction closes at midnight EST on Monday, February 8, 2010. There is still time!

Instructions on how to bid are here.

I’ve offered three items for bidding — a felted bowl with chocolates, a cashmere/wool scarflet called a Fidget, and fingerless gloves made of wool and silk.

Make a bid, change lives!

(And I’d love to see someone enjoy my creations!)

Dyed Rice

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While Bean napped, I started a new endeavor. Last week we dyed pasta for making projects, and she helped. But the rice was going to be much messier, so I waited until she napped. I wanted to make her a surprise (which I will give her Friday morning).

I did some research and found helpful instructions. You can go to The Forester Clan for instructions.

I used food dye and rubbing alcohol, and here are some notations:

  • I started using watercolor from my set, but the rice hardly absorbed the color. I used scarlet red, but the rice turned out pink (which is fine, but I realized then I should use food color and alcohol). It took longer to dry, too.
  • At first I used only two teaspoons of alcohol in the zip-lock bag, with 20 drops of color and two cups of rice. This produced a batch of lighter colored rice with variations — some grains light and others dark.
  • By using more alcohol — about two or three tablespoons — the rice took the color more thoroughly.
  • I dried the riced in the oven on baking sheets at low heat, around 180-200F.
  • I made some colors according to food coloring box, and in all I ended up with 14 colors: white (no dye), pink, red, watermelon red, raspberry, light orange, dark orange, light yellow, dark yellow, green, jungle green, teal, blue, indigo.
  • I put it all in a bin of low height to make easy scooping. I kept the colors separate so Bean can have the fun of blending it all.

And here are the results.

wet rice waiting to be dried
in the oven drying
rainbow rice

Day 1

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We spent the day doing a marathon tour of houses with our new realtor. She now has a sense of what each of us really looks for in a home. We’ll probably go on another tour soon. We feel optimistic. Bean got to spend many hours with a friend whose parents graciously offered to have her over for a play date.

The really good news is that our landlord, who typically only works with 12-month leases, agreed to let us go month-to-month as tenants! That gives us much more flexibility with our search and timeline.

Tomorrow we need to go to Bean’s nursery school and help clean it. It’s a parent cooperative, so all the parents take a turn doing projects to maintain the building and grounds.

And How Are You?

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I sent the following in a note to a friend. Not that she can fix it, but she’s empathetic, and that will have to do for comfort.

Lately I feel I am a Riedel wine glass, and the world is a soprano singing a note that is nearly unbearable.

I want, somehow, to be removed from it, wrapped gently in a soft cloth, and put away someplace safe and quiet.

That’s not going to happen, but I wanted to mention it because I feel you’ll understand.

My best option is to slow down, drop agendas, and breathe.

That’s my answer for today. And you?

She Beams

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You’ll need to be sure your volume is turned up!

Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer true.
I’m half crazy, all for the love of you.
It won’t be a stylish marriage,
I can’t afford a carriage,
But you’ll look sweet
Upon the seat
Of a bicycle built for two!

Then she sang her version of My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean.