In the Beginning.....

God created the heavens and the earth.  And then........
EVE!

Well Eve, thank you very, very much.  No really, I mean that. If she hadn't coveted power, led her man astray, and then lied about it, she wouldn't be the one taking the giant fall of humanity (and women) into sin, and that title would have likely fallen to me.
While I might have coveted a bit of power here and there, led a certain Mr. Loop off the beaten path a time or two, my real womanly short comings need to be stated:
1.  I have absolutely no idea what a person would do with yeast, or how to ultimately turn it into some product called bread.
2.  I couldn't get a sewing machine to turn on if my life depended on it.
3.  If I had to actually cook something from "scratch,"  I would find some Cortisone for that itch.
4.  My thumb is certainly black, if having a green one makes things grow properly.
5.  And if shopping for grocery deals was as easy as shopping for shoe deals, we would have a stocked pantry.

So, as you can see, I am far from the model woman.  Eve and I would probably be great friends.
  
Recently my life has taken an unanticipated turn.  I am going to be a full time wife and mom, not a full time Professor.  I am still teaching a few courses, but nothing like normal.  Why, might you ask?

Here we go....
Last semester my 7 year old daughter was diagnosed with "Delayed Diagnosed Mild Cerebral Palsy."  While in our eyes she is a normal little girl, just very, very small, the changes that came with this diagnosis helped us decided that I should take some time off and focus on helping the four of us get through these new adventures.

I had no idea what that would mean.  The pay cut meant I was going to have to budget for the first time in my existence on earth.  Not only that, but have to "plan ahead." Oh Mercy!!! And the WORST part was we wouldn't have the funds to eat out almost every night.  Someone who lives in this house was going to have to cook.

Basically, this blog is going to chronicle my new misadventures in:
Learning to cook (ugh)
Managing a household (since Mr. Loop is going to be working in another state)
Budgeting (gag)
Finding cheaper and easier ways to supply birthday and Christmas gifts (yuck)
And basically any other things a "Domestic" (that word makes me think of the rise of civilization. First we were hunter-gatherers, then herdsmen who began "domesticating" animals-like cows- and then women. WAIT!  What was that?!?!),  woman would know (I guess that this is a lesson in never saying, "Never.")
It is my basic nature to rebel against these ideas.  I really, REALLY don't want to have anything to do with it. But, since it is bound to produce some hard core amusement from everyone else, might as well be some comic relief.

My first experience in this new foray was to remove my desk from on top of the stove (I know, I know, it's a fire hazard), and actually turn it on.  My first "kid-friendly" cooking adventure was something called Full Moon Mac and Cheese, from Family Fun Magazine.  Basically, it is homemade mac-n-cheese with bread crumbs.  Needless to say, I will not post pictures- but what I ended up having to wash when it was over was:
4 mixing bowls
4 baking pans
2 whisks
3 large spoons
a cheese grater
1 frying pan (long story)
a food processor, and many, many utensils.

The completed project was one 11 x 13 pan of Full Moon dinner.  Alas, I can see this being a long process......