Grades and a little Christmas

Well, grades came out Christmas Eve and I've been too preoccupied with reading the books I got for Christmas to post my grades. But, now I am ready to brag a little.

Ok, here are my classes and my grade. I'm extremely proud of myself because I worked so hard for these grades. Harder than I've ever worked. Probably harder than I needed to work.
English 110--A (I happen to know I got 100% in this class, but it's a one credit class, so not a huge deal)
Child Development--A
English 252--A (97%)
International Studies--Developing World--A (96%)
Science Foundations--A (This one was 99%, which I thought was pretty cool)
Family Foundations--A

A 4.0. Yep, not bad for my first semester back and for going full-time. Next semester, I'm signed up for a religion class and Math 108 Math for the Real World. I'm hoping to add one more class if it opens up. It's a bit difficult, because they are just starting the online program and I have very specific classes to take and they aren't offering too many of the ones I need. Even I wanted to go full-time, I wouldn't be able to, just because they aren't offering the classes. On the other hand, it kind of works out, since I only have ten classes left and I'm not eager to go full-time again.

Onto Christmas. We had a very nice Christmas--nothing too out of the ordinary, but both my brothers were there and my sister and her husband, plus all our kids. The only one missing was my nephew, Winston. I haven't seen him since November, but hopefully I will get to see him sometime soon. He is smiling already and I can't wait to see it. Otherwise, we had quite the group. Everyone slept here at my parents' house and we had a party. My mom's cousin, Andrea, and her family stopped by on Christmas Eve and it was so great to see them again. Her kids are so big! It's amazing how quickly everyone is growing now.

Xander checking out what Santa left him.Max on Christmas morning.
Aubrey and her "person." For some reason, she has it in her head that it's not a purse, it's a person. Or should I spell that purson?

Here's my nephew, Graham, in the hat I knitted for him. My sister and I decided to have the children make each other presents this year. I had the idea of using knitting looms. The kids picked out the bulky yarn. Xander helped me a little on the first one, but it ended up being way too small and my child size loom was missing, so all of Christmas Eve I knitted. Hyrum and Miles also got similar hats. The kids then helped make the pom poms for the tops, which explains the craziness. Graham's ended up looking a lot like a carrot. It's pretty cute, even though his is a little small. Hyrum's and Miles' hats ended up much more appropiately sized. The kids strung bracelets for my niece Maddy.
Griffin on Aubriana's rocking horse (I wish you could see it a little more). It's so cute and it tosses its head and tail and neighs. All the kids loved it. Christmas chaos in the background.
I just made everyone tell me what their favorite part of Christmas this year was and this is what I got:
David: Um, finding out that you made that hat for me.
Kara: How totally spoiled I was by David. And I have tons of reading material now. And my new makeup. But mostly just being with family.
Xander:When Daddy gave me the gift card. I would say that would be the gun and helmet.
Maxton: When we opened the kitchen.
Griffin: I don't know. Playing with my army men and when I saw them. That was my favorite part.
Aubrey: Um, some presents. Mom: What was your favorite present? Aubrey: The puppy present. His head goes round round round.

Here's David putting together the play kitchen. You can also see the Clone Trooper helmets the boys each received from my parents.
Isn't she so cute? She's at that stage when she usually looks all ragamuffiny--with disheveled hair and a dirty face. I cannot believe how often she needs a bath.Anyway, that was pretty much our Christmas. I somehow didn't get pictures of most of the hats I knitted. I hate it when that happens! I've got to get photos before my brothers scatter and I don't get another chance.

School This Semester: What I Learned

Hi everyone. I feel human again. I finished up all my school stuff on Friday and I've been playing non-stop. I probably should do a little cleaning, but it feels like I have twenty Christmas projects I want to get to. I've recently learned how to knit, so pictures will be coming soon. Probably after Christmas, so I don't spoil any surprises.

This little post is to help me remember to never, ever go to school full-time again. I had 13 credits and six classes. Here are a few things I learned this semester:

1. I cannot let things go. I mentally cannot move past things until I've explored every corner and peeked under all the beds, even when it puts me into sneezing fits, metaphorically. And poor David ends up with mucus covering his face. Metaphorically. The man is a saint and has listened to more rants since early September than one person should ever have to listen to. And he didn't tell me to shut up once.
   
2. Never write two sentences when you can write five or six or sometimes twenty-five. This relates to number one. I cannot leave things alone and I must pick at them until they bleed.
   
3. I cannot do more than one thing at once. I am so grateful to my mother, who took my kids for most of the day (from about 9:00 to 1:00 most days) and sometimes brought me down grilled sandwiches for lunch. I do not transition easily between focusing on school and being a good mother. Luckily, I was able to get most of my stuff done in the morning and then I could do things here and there when I had the kids again and not loose my mind when the children asked for the eightieth time if they could have a drink of water or if I could get the legos down. Both my mom and David have been tremendously supportive. I appreciate their sacrifices so I could work on my schooling.
   
4. It is possible for me to get sick of giving my opinion. I know it might sound hard to believe, but it's true. There were a string of weeks where the last things left on my list were writing what I thought about things. This was hard, because see number one and number two. I could not bring myself to BS an answer. Something that has changed since I went to school a few years ago.
5. My butt starts to hurt if I sit on it too long.
6. Related to number 5, I have to exercise, especially when stressed, or I cannot cope. I like to exercise. Who knew?
7. I hate the internet. I hate group work. The end.
8. I'm still highly motivated.
   
9. Something that has changed is that I don't procrastinate nearly as much as I used to. I got in the habit of the beginning of the semester of making a weekly list, then making daily lists from that list and then going through them. By the end of the semester, I wasn't even skipping around, just methodically working through them. For someone who does most things by what mood I'm in, this is some huge growth. Maybe it will translate to housework? Here's hoping.
   
10. I'm still a brown-noser and an overachiever. I might have read two or three books that were related to my coursework but not required by it. Just because I was interested in the subject.
11. I thought I had lost some IQ points over the past few years. School gave my brain a tune-up and it works nearly as well as it did before I had children.
12. I love school.

That's my list. I'm pretty sure I won't need a reminder, but just in case I do, well, there it is. I have 10 classes left (so about 27 credits) until I earn my bachelor's, but I think I'm going to break it down into smaller chunks. A lot depends on whether they will be offering enough sections of the classes to get what I need. For some reason, it hasn't been letting register when I should be able to for my credit level, so I only got into one class next semester. They are only offering two more I need, so we will see if I can sneak into them. If not, I have a back-up plan, but I'd rather not use it.

I did really well. Final grades haven't posted, but I know a few of them and I'm happy with how I did. I will let you know, because dang it, I worked my butt off for those grades and I think I've earned some bragging rights.

Crochet Cupcake Purse

So, I was poking around online for a crochet pattern and came across a post for crochet coin purses. I would show you, but the link is broken at the moment. I thought they were so cute that I had to make one for Maddy or Aubrey. I made up my own pattern and made it much bigger. It took a long time--we watched the extended version of Return of the King and it took me longer than that to finish it. I'm probably going to make another one, but it's going to be much smaller. Much much.

Hey, it's book review time again

Three more books I've polished off lately. Still have a delicious library pile by my bed. Must resist until I finish school for the day.

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Genre: Science Fiction

Very brief summary: Earth has been taken over by alien invaders, which are implanted into human bodies where they take over the brains and bodies of their hosts. Wanderer comes to earth, taking the body of Melanie, who almost died trying to escape capture. As she comes to live in her new body, she realizes that Melanie hasn’t been overcome like the usual host, and Wanderer can hear her in her mind still. She is haunted by Melanie’s old life and loves.

How I heard about it: Well, considering my Twilight obsession, I was sure to find out about any new Stephenie Meyer book.

Where I got the book: I bought it when it came out, or rather David bought it for me. This was my second time through.

What I found most gripping: I have to say that while Stephenie Meyer is not the best writer, she knows how to hold my attention. About 100 pages into the book, I can’t put it down. I love her character development—each one is so distinct and clear. She manages to make each character sympathetic and likeable. She also handles suspense with dexterity and she draws me in. Also, I’m a sucker for a good love triangle.

Any negatives: Hummm, it does take a while to get started. Also, there are a few awkwardly written bits here and there, but overall, a very enjoyable read. It’s got more substance thematically than the Twilight series, but this still isn’t high literature. Despite that, I find Stephenie Meyer knows human nature, which is clearly highlighted in this book. I have one more pet peeve and that is that the other worlds that Wanderer has lived on feel artificial and not very plausible, but maybe it’s just my narrow imagination at work.

Readability: Very high. Another one I finished in less than 24 hours. I would say 4/5 stars.

The Rescue Artist: A True Story of Art, Thieves, and the Hunt for a Missing Masterpiece by Edward Dolnick

Genre: Non-Fiction

Very brief summary: Edvard Munch’s The Scream was stolen on the eve of the Winter Olympic Games in Norway, by two thieves who put a ladder up to an outside wall, smashed the window and nabbed the painting. This is the story of how one Scotland Yard undercover agent tries to get it back.

How I heard about it: A reading thread from twopeasinabucket.com.

Where I got the book: The library.

What I found most gripping: I’ve heard about the theft of great art, so I was very interested to learn more about that and Dolnick does a fantastic job of painting the characters—both the thieves who steal great works of art and the people who catch them, particularly Charley Hill, ex-soldier, adrenaline-junkie, fast-talking undercover cop.

Any negatives: There are a few points when the author sort of rambles on describing Charley, but they don’t last too long and most of it is tight and highly interesting.

Readability: High. Exciting and appealing. Someday I’ll have to review a book I didn’t like. I give this 4/5 stars.

The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry

Genre: Fiction

Very brief summary: Towner comes from a family gifted with the 2^nd sight, but Towner has fled her Salem roots for California and hasn’t been home in 15 years. When her great-aunt dies, she returns home for the funeral and is faced with her past.

How I heard about it: Reading list on twopeasinabucket.com.

Where I got the book: Library

What I found most gripping: Towner is an unreliable narrator and unraveling her story was an interesting journey. I didn’t really get pulled into the book until the last half. On the plus side, there is some stunning imagery and a lot of symbolic meaning, which is highly developed. The prose is quite beautiful at times.

Any negatives: It didn’t grab me at first. A lot of the novel is told backwards, with details from the past revealing as you go. This annoys me most of the time. If you want to tell me something, just tell me. Don’t hint. But ultimately, that is the brilliance of this book.

Readability: Medium to high. I would give it 4/5 stars for literary quality, but only 3/5 for keeping my interest and making me care about the characters. There is a lot of exposition that happens in the first 10 pages and it didn’t draw me in. Around page 15, I started to kind of care and it developed from there.