...but I still think that our sink does not have standard holes so we may have to replace the sink itself.
I won't find out until tomorrow....today was taken up by toddler tantrums.
For some reason she does not love Mommy -- only Daddy. She will not let me help her use the potty. She will not let me change her diaper. She will not let me wash her hands. She does not want me to help put her to bed. And I'm trying desperately not to pout, because after all she's only 3 and she doesn't really know what she's saying.

Rob's got an easy answer when she says "I dont' love you" to him -- "Well, I guess that means you don't want me to rub your back at bedtime tonight then." I can't do that, because she doesn't want me there at bedtime right now... which hurts.

How many times have I told Victoria not to lean on the sink because sinks aren't meant to be leaned on!?
And today I leaned on the kitchen sink drainpipe when trying to get in to measure the faucet so we could get a new one.
And I broke the drain pipe.

St. Daddy rolled with the punches--he's now studying how to fix drainpipes while V&I watch Sesame Street..

I had planned to post an old family photo from an ancient Thanksgiving, but apparently I haven't yet scanned the one I was thinking of. Instead I offer up this gem to my family. This is Nonie -- then Evelyn Alvina Batchelor. There is an undamaged copy of the photo, but this one is the treasure because of the damage -- it's one that Nonie sent to Poppy during World War I. The date on the back is October 28, 1918 -- two days before the surrender of the Ottoman Empire.

( Evelyn @ Coney Island 1918 )
And if anyone has the snapshot of my dog Noelle trying to eat the turkey off the table, let me know!

Behind the cut are six large pictures showing the disassembly of the stockpot's stopcock. Must be cleaned inside and thoroughly dried before storage. Food grade white-lithium grease is a plus. Instructions still to be added.

( Now introducing our product demo model John... )

What a great word... courtesy of www.crazyauntpurl.com.  I love Laurie Perry...even if I'm totally not a knitter.

http://www.crazyauntpurl.com/archives/2009/11/procrasticleani.php

My favorite line: "Procrasticleaning is the natural offspring of the dreaded Deadline. My house is never cleaner or shinier of more fresh-smelling than when I have a looming deadline."

Here's what I wrote down last night while R put V to bed after we 3 cuddled in front of the boob tube for a while.

Cynical mother
rediscovers the magic
in culture's wasteland.
MacGyver with my daughter...
After 10 years I get it.

1. Completing the second stage of a project in one day not three--thus justifying the full day I spent customizing the database to speed up the process.

2.  A warm Halloween so my butteryfly fairy wasn't cold in her short skirt.

3.  Thai-inspired supper:  Onions and carrots and celery and orange peppers and garlic fried up with the ends of the roasted chicken, then simmered with coconut milk and lots of cilantro.  All over fresh hot white rice.

4. Co-workers who loan me TV shows on DVD. 

5. Friends who are recuperating at last.

Now off to play with the family in front of MacGyver!

for  , and gurdymonkey (who I want to meet someday so I can say thankyou for this idea!)


people on dark streets
laughing and ringing doorbells
lights on? please visit.
a dog leans through the storm door,
screen removed so he can see.

I'm giving you the link not the image because the comic has an additional punchline in the mouseover text and I couldn't figure out how to share that with you:  http://xkcd.com/490/
(Be aware before you hit <random cartoon> that it's a grad-school-level comic.  It may be stick figures, but it's sometimes got adult themes...beyond the obvious they also tackle calculus & high-energy physics...)

And otherwise...
Between a bad work deadline (me) and another round of colds (me, husband, preschooler) that keep us from sleeping, I've fallen off the bandwagon again.  We'd done so well ... last night I didn't even put away the pasta, forget shining the sink. 
Sigh.  And there's a storm predicted for Saturday when I was planning to have some neighborhood kids over to have hot dogs and cupcakes for my daughter's 3rd birthday...