October 2011 Round Up

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What books and/or magazines did I read this month?
I've nibbled at a couple of books, but nothing really stuck. It is catalog season, though, so I've been flipping through at least 1-2 of those a day. Probably doesn't count as "real" reading, but it's the best I can offer right now, particularly since I was sick most of the month.

What movies and/or tv shows did I watch this month?
* TV Time: Still running with the usual. Rules of Engagement is back (yay, our one and only sitcom), as is Mythbusters (our Wednesday is starting to get cramped). We tried Penn & Teller Tell a Lie; it was interesting, but we didn't love it, and since we already watch too much TV, we dropped it. I'm not usually big on "reality TV," but The Next Iron Chef has two different chefs on it that I really like (Robert Irvine and Anne Burrell), so I'll give it a shot. Will probably stop watching it if/when they are both gone. The first episode was interesting, though.
* New Films: Red (pretty cute, loved all the folks in it, though I was expecting a little more), and I think that's all we managed this month. It was busy!
* Old Favorites: Peter Pan, The Replacement Killers, Return of the Jedi, The Princess Bride, I.Q., Newsies, Cocktail, Working Girl, Gattaca, Alice in Wonderland, The Aristocats, V for Vendetta, Daredevil, Tangled

What special days did I celebrate and how?
Luke's 7th birthday! We had a small but fun party at home. We also did both the elementary school fall festival and the Halloween parade this year, which Luke chose to do in place of trick or treating this year.

What gifts did I give and/or receive?
Birthday gifts for Luke.

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?
I spent most of the month sick with a serious sinus infection that lead to an ear infection and tried really hard to become bronchitis, but I managed to beat it off with some antibiotics. Still, it was not fun. Discovering a perforated eardrum, with no obvious cause, was quite a shock! Luke was also sick early in the month, but thankfully, he managed to just have sniffles and a fever without it getting much worse.

What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?
I was too sick to have much fun. The party was good, and of course, we continued with soccer. The Halloween parade was pretty fun, getting to watch Luke play with a couple of his friends from school. I know he had a blast!

What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try this month?
We did a home taste test of BBQ sauces that was pretty fun. DH's Aunt E's recipe won, followed closely by Sweet Baby Ray's. I tried a couple of new recipes:


Taco Cornbread Bake, which was okay


Hot Cocoa Mix, which was very good!

What special or unusual purchases did I make?
I had to buy a new alarm clock after mine jumped off the night stand and shattered the LCD face. I also bought Luke a timer dedicated to teeth brushing, since he's broken two of my kitchen timers in the last 3 months. It sticks to the mirror via suction cup. Just push the tooth button, and a green light blinks for 2 minutes. When it turns red, you're done. Seems to work great for him so far.

What were this month's disappointments or frustrations?
Being so sick for so long was both a disappointment and a frustration. Neither DH's brother nor mine made it to Luke's birthday party, both for legitimate reasons, but we still really missed them. I also got hit with a Twitter spam/spoof thing that was *super* frustrating for a few days. My first project at work started (yay!) and hit a glitch on day 2. ::sigh:: Such is the job. I keep reminding myself that if the processes all worked seamlessly, they wouldn't need a project manager!

What were my accomplishments this month?
I'm making a pretty good dent in my new 101 Things list, but primarily on the weekly or monthly items. I haven't actually marked any "single shot" items off yet, but I'm not worried at this point. Still, I missed a few monthly goals, too, so there is always room for improvement.

As I mentioned, my first work project got started, so I'm actually, you know, *doing* stuff now at work. I am also feeling the pressure of expectation weighing heavily. I just hope I can live up. I did go in to one of the systems and make my updates pretty quickly and without too much trouble, so I consider that progress.

I started a new recipe blog called Clueless in the Kitchen to help me track the new recipes for my 101 Things list and to document some of our family favorite recipes. I was really hoping to get quite a few recipes posted in October, but being sick really kicked my rear. I didn't cook as much as I hoped, and I went to bed early (like around 9PM) more nights than not because I was just so tired. Doesn't leave much time for blogging. I didn't even blog here in real time for 2-3 weeks. Hope to start back up with the recipe blog in November.

What were Luke's accomplishments this month?


Luke's reading seems to be coming along fairly well. He's doing great according to everyone at school. Soccer is going okay; he could be a bit more focused, but that's just Luke, to some extent. We survived jeans shopping, which is always an adventure, though we only got 3 pair (he can still wear a couple of pair from last year, though they're a bit too short and the knees won't last long), so we'll have to torture ourselves again a bit later. We had to cancel his 7 year well visit doctor appointment because it interfered with ITBS testing at school, so I don't have his official 7 year stats yet; those will have to wait to November.

Anything else noteworthy to record?
Steve Jobs died. It will be interesting to see how Apple fares over the next few years without him at the helm.

Monthly Round Up courtesy of Katie the Scrapbook Lady.

Currently feeling: ready to feel fully well