Some of the kids said they felt bad about how they acted last semester and had they known I was pregnant they would have been nicer. @@.

Hahaha! Lord that over them. If you are so inclined. As if threatening to puke on them wasn't sympathetic enough!

I freaked them out to today when I mentioned the brain grows first and then the skull grows around the brain. Also, that one of the kids wedges body parts beneath my ribs and pushes.

Score! Of course, this is now freaking me out. You are closer to even for the placenta thing. Just wait until you are teaching and they see a limb travel across your belly. I have to admit, I kinda shrieked when out for lunch with a very pregnant friend and this lump travelled across her belly and knocked her plate out of the way. She claimed it was a foot. Me? ALIENS IN TRISH! Of course, that alien is now 3 and a big sister. Eek!

Do you know what they do, sara?

Only vaguely from a brief google. I remember hearing about the NYC issues back in the day. Sorta neighborhood-watchy but more aggressive than NW these days, kinda. More outreachy, for sure. I wish I'd gone so I could have more of an opinion of this particular incarnation.

For the record, the no-knead bread is not originally mine. I reported on a recipe I got from the NY Times.

And, overall, I'm back to kneaded bread. I prefer a -- a more kneaded result, I guess. I'm not that big into rough crusts, and I prefer sweet breads anyway (the no-knead takes no sugar), so I tend to make milk breads these days: with an egg and milk and butter. And cinnamon or nutmeg or sometimes rosemary.

I love the crust on that one, but I don't actually mind kneading, and it seems like the mess level is about the same with this one even so.

My whole wheat flour has a recipe on the back that uses a bottle of beer instead of yeast. Also no knead. I might give that a try.

Nice family news. My Uncle's first wife left him 30 years ago for another guy. Then his second much-loved wife died suddenly a decade ago on Christmas eve. Together, they had a blended family of 8 kids, and he has enjoyed being the paterfamilias to them and his many grandkids, but he has been lonely.

He had esophogeal cancer this year and went through several surgeries and unpleasant treatments. A nice neighbor lady ended up bringing over food for him, then hanging out with him as he got back his strength, and then went sailing in the Caribbean on his boat with him when he recovered. They're engaged! They have been neighbors for 45 years and their kids have all grown up together and everyone is thrilled.

Oh Robin, that's really lovely.

Kat, I'm standing in the no contractions corner, glaring at your sprong and your uterus.

That's really cool, Robin. Good on them.

How are you feeling?

I haven't fallen for the no-knead yet, although EVERY corner of the internets was talking about it for a while there. I figure, I like kneading, and it only takes a few minutes, and you get the same sourness from any recipe that rests for a long time.

Thanks, Cindy. I'm thinking that I will be fine when hooked to the fetal monitor come monday afternoon and I'll have a reprieve of one more week of work. Odd that I am thinking of it as a reprieve. I have too much to teach still!

That's super sweet, Robin!

The no-knead recipe sounds like at least as much work and mess as kneading, to me. I like beer bread, though. It seems kind of, I don't know, sneaky.