Finally, Some Finishes

I have done it!!!  I officially am done with my dissertation.  Everything has been turned in, I passed my oral defense, did revisions and formatted it correctly.  It ended up being over 200 pages of text and close to 250 pages with all appendices and front matter included.  I had to print it out once to get an idea of the scale of it.

 

 I am so happy to have this done!  It does feel a bit weird not to be working on something for school.  I have always been in school.  This is the first time in my life where I will NOT be a student.  My graduation is in December and I will have to post pictures of it later.

Another big event in my life is that I was a semi finalist at the AQS (American Quilters Society) Quilt Show in Des Moines.  Only around 200 quilts total were juried in, and I was privileged to have created one of those quilts. 

It was so neat to see my quilt in this venue!  I am trying to think what I can do this year that will be good enough to get in again.

Other things have happened in our lives since I last posted.  The kids have started back to school.  They are growing up so fast.  Iris played volleyball this year, and still is involved with orchestra and show choir. 

Zadok has a really good teacher this year and is enjoying 2nd grade. He is getting to be such a tall boy.   

We have also celebrated Halloween.  I decorated the outside of the house similar to last year.  Zadok went as Perry the Platypus and Nathan went as Dr. Doofenshmirtz.  I think it was a cute costume pairing. 

The cats are also doing well.  Mr. Nibbles is about as crazy as ever, and still loves sleeping in weird spots.

Don't worry this happened after a friend's baby was done using it.

I might be more regular at posting now that I do not have the dissertation looming over me.  My short term goals are to get my life back in order.  I can tell that I have let my housework slip while concentrating on the paper.  It will take a while to get everything back in shape, but that will soon happen.  I am still unclear about what I will be doing now that my degree is done.  I would still love to teach on a college level and am looking for a job.  In the meantime, clean and sort!

Mr Nibbles

Well, I think we have a name for the kitten, other than "the kitten". My mother suggested Nibbles. It has become Mr. Nibbles. I thought Nibbler but the hubby thought that was too direct a reference to Futurama.

Mother suggested this name after hearing the story about the not so little girl, close to tears, bringing the gerbil down stairs with blood on its tail. "Something is wrong with my gerbil!!" I look at the gerbil and she looks back at me and looks fine (other than about 1/2 inch of tail gone). I continue to check on the gerbil for the rest of the day and it seems to be feeling fine. The hubby comes home and I tell him about the gerbil and he immediately blames the kitten. Light Bulb Moment. The kitten is always VERY interested in the gerbil. It is a vicious kitten. It would eat that gerbil without a smidgen of guilt. It is not that much of a stretch to think that it would take a taste. SO now the name. Mr. Nibbles. Hubby thinks that it will be an appropriate name for the kitten now when it is still cute and also when the cat will become a 30 lbs obeast and not be able to even jump on the couch.


Now to join the hubby and his search for bad sci-fi movies. I hear "Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus" not calling my name. Think I'll just go to bed, or do dishes, or clean out the toilets, or something else that would be more fun and exciting than watching that movie.