1 dough, 2 meals

This is quickly becoming a McMiller family tradition:
Make one batch of America's Test Kitchen pizza dough on Friday afternoon. Make 1 big pizza for dinner; everyone gets to choose toppings on his/her side. Make overnight rise cinnamon sticky buns for breakfast.

Wordless Wednesday - Gratuitous Cuteness

Cute, soft, cuddly

OK, we're really ready now.  I just finished knitting a little teeny sweater.  It's knitting project #3 and, other than a few wonky bits, I feel it turned out just fine.  And it was fast, thanks to the small size and easy pattern.  It was actually done all in one piece, leaving no seams.   Thanks, Sharon and Matt, for the yarn and circular needles.  Thanks, Upper Orinda Mc's for the double-pointed needles.

Toilets A-Flushin'!

We're back in, uh, business, so to speak. Yay!

A small army of people arrived this morning, dug out a hole on the house side, finished digging out the hole by the street, then pulled a new semi-rigid plastic pipe through the existing clay pipe, expanding and breaking up the old pipe as it went. Magic.

Here's the giant hole of poo that I dug out on Saturday (I blurred the worker's face):


Here's the hole they dug by the front porch, with the new pipe part-way through:


Here's the 65-foot pipe on its way in.


Here's me and Erin reveling in the awesomeness that is indoor plumbing:

PDX Domination

Finally getting to post this: McMillers were back in PDX! It was a long weekend trip, capped by Brian's company party (a holiday party in January on a Tuesday, but who is complaining?)

We packed much adventure into 4 days including:

Girls night out (where we learned that 4 month old babies are not always welcome at bars)

Guys and Kids night of Wii

Sledding on Mt. Hood - snow included

Pizza dinner followed by ice cream cones

Ladies' brunch

Viewing of our old house

A scrumptious dinner at the Condo

The Children's museum

annnnd.... the company party.

There were pictures, but not nearly enough to tell the whole tale. Maybe that's for the best.

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Sewer Update

Neighborhood: still stinky

Water: still off

Landscaping: receiving a lot of pee.  Sorry, daffodils

Contractors: bids received, one chosen, work to begin Thursday morning

First shower scheduled for: Thursday evening.  Wahooty!

Here's a shot of me from Saturday, two hours into my five hour effort, repairing a tear in my suit.  If that looks like a lot of sewage, imagine what hour five looked like.  Imagine what it smelled like.  Or, probably better, don't.

New Job

Today, Dr. A embarks on a new career. Starting today, I am a Full Time Mom. Last Friday was the last day at the lab. I tucked the cells into the -80 freezer, tidied the boxes of plasmids and primers, double checked the labeling on the patient slides, and turned in my ID badge and key.

Today, the first time as a Domestic Engineer, I have such tasks as getting 3 bids for fixing the sewer line, looking up life insurance quotes, locating and sorting the newborn clothes, starting a new blog, scheduling a much-needed haircut, and entertaining a 2 year old. Erin will still go to pre-school 4 days a week, but Mondays will be Mommy and Girl time.

The contract on this position is expected to run 2 years, by which time Baby Girl 2 will be in preschool. There were myriad reasons leading to the opening of this role, and I hope to do it justice. I am open to all suggestions, hints, tips, and ideas for how to be successful.