Washing Machine Adventure

Lately my washing machine has stopped washing in the middle of cycles. The last time this happened, it just needed the filter cleaned out. I just cleaned it out a few months ago, so I was surprised it needed it again.

Monday I pulled out the filter, which means smelly water pours out of the bottom of the machine. This smell is unlike anything else, and it's very unpleasant. Anyway, I found a baby sock and a nursing pad inside the filter, along with lint and hair and other gross stuff. I soaked the sock in bleach (I hate to leave its mate alone forever) and threw away the nursing pad.

I replaced the filter, but it didn't screw back on tightly. So when I started a load, water started pouring out of the bottom of the machine. It's lucky there's a drain in the laundry room floor. I took out the filter and tried screwing it in again, and this time it went on tightly. 

All's well now, although the whole process took about an hour.

Our Lives: September 2011

We started leaving Corin in the Nursery at church. He is not thrilled about this, but the leaders will hold him and keep him. So I've been able to attend meetings again. 

Jaelyn got sick on and off for a few days, and then got better. About a week later, Caelan and I got stomach flu, which was pretty miserable. The next day Glenn got it. Corin was a little sick for a night in there, too.

The girls went off track at school in mid-September. Then I got a call from the principal that Sara's class was being dissolved since they had five first-grade classes. I could have moved both girls to C track, but Jaelyn and I had done a lot of work on her Weber County report, and I didn't want that to be all for nothing. So I moved Sara to D track and left Jaelyn on B. The principal said Sara could stay off track with B and start on D when she got back. This will be an interesting school year. 

The Weber County Commission mailed me a ton of brochures and handouts on their history and all kinds of stuff. They even sent some complimentary tickets to some of their attractions. It was very nice of them.

We had some major drama with pack meeting this month. Glenn has been buying the awards for me after work since he's already part-way there. But they no longer let you buy awards without a printout of your Internet Advancement report. So Glenn ended up storming out of the Scout Shop. This was Monday, the day before pack meeting. 

I spent Monday night working on the Internet Advancement. The Scouting web site is very non-user friendly. It's up there with untangling Christmas tree lights and doing your taxes. After several hours, I had the printout. 

Tuesday morning I drove to the Sandy Scout Shop, a half-hour drive. They took my report without even looking at it. It turned out I forgot a few awards, so it'll be interested to see if I can buy them next month.

It was very hot this month. I was looking forward to fall and did not find it.

Archaeological Excavation

People may have noticed Corin going without shoes the last few weeks. He owns three pairs. For a court of honor, we could only find one of each shoe, but at least there was a left and a right among them. So we took Corin with mismatched shoes. Then he had both his sandals for a while. But last time at Target, he kept throwing them out of the cart. I remember putting everything from the cart into the car and making sure to remember to get the shoes, too. Yet I haven't seen them since. 

I was tired of things missing, so I went tunneling through the girls' room to see what I could find. I burrowed through books, clothes, and toys until I was buried in it and afraid I'd get trapped. I went through the closet, under the bed, and behind the door. 

I found Corin's two missing shoes and Caelan's Lightning McQueen shoes. These are the shoes that fit him best. I fear I left Corin's sandals at Target. Since they cost $1 at DI, I can't be too upset, though.

I did not find my very sharp sewing scissors in the girls' room. They turned up when I started cleaning up my own room a few days later.

Cat Spotlight: Hathor

Hathor is one of our second litter cats, or the TUCs (Totally Useless Cats). However, she is less useless than some of the others. She is a very pretty cat, symmetrical in coloring. She is brownish with some black and orange highlights. Her fur is long and very thick, making her very fluffy. Some of her whiskers are black, and some are white. This is interesting. Her eyes have a brown tint, while the other cats have pale green eyes. She has very long ear hair, which is kind of funny.

She can be affectionate, sometimes even demanding attention. She loves to be scratched on the cheeks and will lean into my hand when I pet her there. She absolutely adores Albus, following him around like his shadow, constantly rubbing against him. He tends to put up with her but ignore her. Meanwhile, Hathor absolutely detests Kryten, often hissing and batting at him. She thinks very highly of herself, however.

As a kitten

 

Up in Holly's tree

Stretching

Climbing out of the tree to get pet

Taking shelter under Caelan's car

How Caelan Plays Peek-a-Boo

I'm not sure how this game evolved, but this is one of Caelan's favorite things to do.

He closes his eyes and says, "You can't see my eyes!" Then I tickle him in different spots while saying, "Are they in here? Over here?" He will point at his eyes, but I won't "find" them until he opens them. "Oh, there are the eyes!"

Sometimes when I ask where his eyes are, he says, "I eat them!" He's my silly boy.