Pass It On

This is my 2nd post about a billboard I read. The first one you may remember was taken off the next day since it was just a negative rant. This one is the opposite.

I was driving along I-15 this morning when I happened to see this billboard (above). I've seen it many times before but today, it struck me. It's not an advertisement, so why is it up there?

Who is the great fan club for human-kind that paid big bucks to have this "moralization" (yep, made it up) put in such a prominent place? And by that I mean, it is right on the main corridor going downtown.

I thought a lot about it. Surely no capitalist organization could be responsible. And the more I thought, the more I wondered. It's a nice statement, and the only motivation for it being there was that someone thought that people driving along I-15 might need a moral increase.

The people that do this happen to be an organization called The Foundation for a Better Life. On their website, it said that it is a non-profit organization who receives its funding from one family who "wants to remind individuals they are accountable and empowered with the ability to take responsibility for their lives and to promote a set of values that sees them through their failures and capitalizes on their successes." They believe that if people do this, then the community will benefit as a whole.

I'm impressed by this. I like to look for an encourage the good in all people. I realize there is lots of bad in the world, but if we could all have a better attitude, I think things would be a lot better. I hate negativity.

Laughing Gas

I had to have two cavities filled this afternoon. Like most people, I really don't like the dentist because sadly, he's synomous with pain.

My dentist has laughing gas and normally I really like it. I've had it numerous times for various work I've had many years ago. Does age even affect how you respond to drugs? That's sad!

I couldn't retreat from the discomfort as far as I was used to. I remember feeling like i was down a very long tunnel and that someone outside was banging and moving the tunnel but I was so far down, it didn't affect me. Plus, the dentist kept trying to talk to me and I was like, "WTF, don't you realize I'm trying to zone out here, geez!"

He stoppered my mouth to its widest point and I felt that long needle slide in and although I was still in a far-off-place, I felt it nonetheless. I also felt some of the drilling.

But the worst part was the way I felt (am feeling) afterward. I have a headache, and it took me about 1/2 an hour for the fuzzy feeling to wear off. Doesn't it give you a feeling of great security to know that this 1/2 hour was spent driving in rush hour traffic? I really thought I was fine - but isn't that what all the drunks say when they get behind the wheel?

I made it home in one piece, as did all my fellow road-mates, and now I just want to take a nap. I'm enormously ravenous but eating is about as enticing as chewing on my arm since my tongue feels like a 40 lb weight.

All in all, I do feel like I would go through the laughing gas again just to escape the discomfort and tension I go through to have dental work performed. It really stresses me out! I come out of there coiled up like a slinky! But maybe I should plan to have a few hours for a snoozer the next time I visit my dentist (which will be sooner rather than later since I need 2 crowns done before my teeth crack out of my head!)

We Have Fish!!

I forgot to mention that we finally bought the fish for our fishtank! We also bought 2 small pieces of coral, and 3 snails. The fish are baby clown fish.

We also found out that since fish need relatively the same environment they have in the ocean, that also means they need a lengthy period of darkness. Which also means we can't leave that light on as a nightlight. O-well. What do they say about best laid plans???

Merry Christmas Re-cap

I've noticed that I'm not the only blogger who has slacked off a little bit around Christmas. Sorry. Things have been just a tad crazy. But here's a re-cap of the past couple of days around my house.

Here is 2 of the 8 morning visitors to our backyard Christmas eve morning. We found them eating from our leftover garden, and bedding down beneath a big tree. I'm glad they've found refuge. We live on the side of a mountain and get lots of visitors down the mountain this time of year, but this is the first year we've seen them in our own backyard.

I was out done by DH in a snowman competition I didn't know about, lol. His is about 3x the size of mine from the other day (compare here). He used spray paint for the mouth, don't you love it? Now THAT'S snowman!

so sweet...cuddling with her snowman...
I started a new Christmas eve tradition with SP to do an annual gingerbread house. This one was a pre-packaged type and it was perfect for a 3 year old. She was very maticulous in how the candies went on. I have a feeling we're going to make some very amazing houses as the years go by.
After 20 years or so of doing these houses, I'm going to make a book of all the houses, and pictures over the years. This is the first one....

This is what I got for Christmas from DH. It's exactly what I wanted - the professional model of the deluxe Kitchenaid mixer. I've had my old one (in the background) for 14 years and I'm ready to move on. It's for sale if anyone's interested. Somebody loves me.

Merry Christmas to all of you!

Decisions & Consequences

Being an adult is like walking through the mirrors-maze at the fair. So many of our choices lead us to dead-ends. And even if you do find a doorway, it just leads you into more confusion. The confusion never has black & white answers either. Every choice (good or bad) has its own set of ramifications that can either take you out, or deeper in. It's maddening.

Sometimes I feel like I'm on the edge of an abyss, and one false move I'm going to fall into a sea of insanity. Am I normal? I don't know. What I do know is that I know virtually nothing about cause & affect. I am not a predictor. I don't understand "if...then". I have fallen into a sea...one of confusion instead.

It's easy to get here. You make a choice. The world reacts. You're stunned. Did you make a bad choice? You don't think so. Can you repair it? You try. You make a choice. The world reacts. You're stunned. It's a vicious circle...sometimes. Sometimes it goes your way. Actually a lot of the time. But the times it doesn't alter your perceptions and grows like a canker inside of you.

I'm not sure what I'm talking about here and I'm quite sure you're confused. I'm jabbering...the end.

I'm Grateful...

...for the chance I get to be home to enjoy days like this...

(can you see the snow in her mouth? it's classic "kid-stuff")

My Birthday

Yesterday was my birthday. Yes, I'm a December baby. I like having the 18th as my birthday because it's always exactly a week before Christmas. And since so many people attempt to commiserate with me for being a Christmas child, I'll share with you why I don't feel bad for myself at all:

Being a Christmas baby means that:

1) festivity is already in the air, so it spills over into my birthday celebration
2) I'm already in a happy, partying mood
3) I see most of my friends in December because of Christmas, so it's like an extra birthday present too
4) since our first Christmas together, DH has been overly generous with me for both birthday and Christmas which means it's always extra-fun (and probably extra-hard for him)
5) there's too much going on in December to dwell on the fact that I'm one year older
6) after one whopping big mistake when i was about 8, my parents tried extra hard to make sure my birthday was very separate from Christmas, and very special
7) it's easier for me to remember Christ's birthday with mine being so close to His

Thanks to all my friends who sent me birthday wishes!

Lisey's Story - by Stephen King

I am so over Stephen King! I thought I'd give him another chance, since in the past, I've been such a fan. However, this latest story, Lisey's Story, went beyond stupid! I have never read such a poor book by Stephen King, as this piece of drivel.

It starts out in Lisey's mind. Her thoughts about her husband, his death blah blah blah. During this interminable length of time, I considered putting the book down many times because I feared the entire book would be exactly like the beginning - Lisey's thoughts.

It wasn't though. It eventually evolved into a real story but it was so far-fetched (without any "real" explanation as to how it ties to reality at all) that it was difficult to swallow. I mean, was Booya Moon (I listened to an audiobook of this so spelling might be wrong), a real place, or something made up or what? I just couldn't figure it out! I get it's different for everyone but it just made no sense!

Not to mention the fake jargon. King makes up about 50 new terms in this book that are supposed to make sense. They don't. The entire book supposedly revolves around a term called "bool" which I think he made an attempt at explaining in the beginning, but it was such a poor job that I really never did get it - and thus was lost for most of the book when it referred to this term. And since it was such a large portion of the book, it made no sense. Maybe I'm slow.

Lastly, something that was SO ANNOYING was the little "thoughts" he'd throw into the middle of a zillion sentences. Like Lisey would be having a thought that was distressing her: she'd be thinking this thought and in the middle of the thought..."hush, Lisey"...and then the thought would continue as if the interruption never happened. He did this so many times it was ridiculous, not to mention completely unnecessary.

David Trosky, in a review on Amazon put it succinctly when he wrote:

My problem with Lisey's Story, though, is that I'm starting to find King's writing style downright annoying. I understand the importance of internal dialogue so we know what the characters are thinking, and I know he tries to use this to build tension, but it's simply overdone here, as is his use of parentheses. To give you an example, if King were writing a review of Lisey's Story, in the style of Lisey's Story, it might read something like this: ---

How good is Lisey's Story? Well, that's the question, isn't it? And it's not just the question, it's the BIG question. The BIG SMUCKING QUESTION. Yessirree, the question to end all questions. Because when you get right down to it (oh and we will... we will get right down to it... BOOL!) reviews are really about how good something is, are they not? Of course they are. ---

Words & sayings that were annoying from this book:

"smucking", "shite", "bool", "nubby", "hush, Lisey", "baby-love", "southern-fried chicken-sh**" - and the worst "puffickly huh-yooge piece of orrifice" (WTF is that supposed to mean?), SOWISA, long boy, bad-gunky.

I have no idea what any of these words or phrases mean other than the sad explanations given.

Every well-read King reviewer had the same opinion I did.

I'm sorry King - I usually really like your work. Maybe I've read you too much and you've gotten under my skin. You'd be better to completely retract all copies of this novel and burn them at the stake. There's just no comparison with The Stand. Come on, you can do better!

Random Thought & An Award

I'm driving around listening to my XM, and as frequently happens, I reach up evidently to push the "rewind" button that doesn't exist. Why do I keep doing this? Don't I know that radio doesn't have this particular feature?

Well, in my mind...it should. I mean, everything else in this world does. My iPod, my satellite TV, every program I watch, my Windows Media, anything on the internet, downloads onto my phone, DVD players, all the stuff on my iPaq. I mean, I understand the reasons, but come on - get with the system people! At least can't I record a good song for playback later on? It's really killing me!

And...not to be forgotten...Tish from The Kat House has bestowed upon me another award because she's so thoughtful! This one is "I'm A Little Nutty"...and if you read this blog, you know why... Thank you Tish! I would like to pass this award on to Josey (random thoughts keep on rollin'), and Mad Goat Lady (who actually saw a kangaroo on her front lawn on Thursday ...wow!), and also to Mrs. Furious who cracks me up.

These Are The Moments We Live For

First recital...today...so cute!

getting ready to dance...

She's not bashful in the least. And me? I was in heaven as I watched my princess in her tutu twirl around the "stage". I nearly cried when the music came on and she started to do her routine. I just love being her mom.

backstage (where's waldo)

This Is What I Did Today

It's a tradition among my sister and me (that's correct grammer, folks - like it or not...yeah, it's a pet peeve when people mix it up) to make these little tins of popcorn & sometimes other goodies for people in our family that we don't often see. These people include our dad who lives in Denver, a couple of our great-aunts, some cousins, a few in-laws on her side, and our other sister who lives in Idaho (that'd be Ellen, our own little fertile-myrtle -sorry L, ya know i luv ya).

We've been doing this for about ten years now. It's quite a chore! It takes us nearly all day since usually we add in something we've not done before like for the past couple of years we've been doing cinnamon popcorn which is awesome to make, and really good if not a little spicy!

Today, we were very harried (crazy season!) and since we put it off so long this year, which isn't typical, we were in a crazy rush! Good thing we've done it so many times because we've got the system DOWN! We busted out 5 gallons of caramel popcorn (the best you've ever tasted, might I add), in about 4 hours including baking time!

I hope all of our families enjoy it. Funny, we usually don't ever hear back if anyone even got it. Oh, maybe it's not the best caramel popcorn you've ever tasted...maybe I should discuss that with Renee (hmmm, got me thinking). But it's alright - we do it for how it makes us feel! It's like an extra-special christmas card hand-made by...us.

It wouldn't be worth it if my sister and I didn't have so much fun together!

The Weather

Yes, I've resorted to discussing the weather on my blog. Isn't that considered to be boring conversation?

It is now so cold here that I'm feeling sorry for my Christmas lights. Most of them are stuck under 6" of ice. Some of them have glowed themselves free of the snow, but the rest look as if they're going to go on revolt. I don't blame them.

Usually when it snows here, it warms up enough that the snow turns to slush which gets sprayed on the rest of the snow making everything look like gray crap. This year, it snowed, and immediately froze harder causing all the snow to turn to ice. It's wonderful in that the snow actually looks like beautiful white snow even if it so slick I fall on my butt, or my Tahoe goes careening out of control around a corner. At least it's pretty!

I think the high here today was 25 degrees. It snowed again a little bit, just dusting the driveway. I was out in it most of the day, and am glad now to be comfortably indoors. I like the winter, as long as I'm warm!

Taking Bets

Is this nail going to come off?

Don't You Hate It When...

...you fall on your butt in the snow in front of a whole bunch of cars waiting at a light. And, as you're getting up, you fall again. You look over at the cars, and you see some people start laughing so you start laughing as you're trying to get up, and laughing makes you fall on your butt again, and tear your pants. And as you're again, trying to get up, you realize all the stuff's fallen out of your purse.

That was me.

I can laugh at myself.

Blogging for My Health

It didn't take me long. There is a link on the side to my new blog for tracking my weight loss/health progress. I've already posted a couple of days on it so check it out, if you want.

Just knowing there are a couple of readers a day will likely keep me honest and motivated. Thanks to all of you who replied to my inquiry and to those who will be keeping track of me.

www.amysonaquest.blogspot.com

Enlisting Help...HELP!

I’m getting a relatively good readership to this blog, especially considering it’s only been around since May 2007. I’d like to thank my loyal readers for giving me the motivation to continue nearly daily posting. I think I only missed a few days in November and I didn’t even do that post-every-day-for-a-month thingie.

To the point…Although I am not as heavy as I was this time last year, thank goodness,the fairly significant weight loss I experienced this past spring has crept back on, hence the fact that I hate looking in the mirror…again. Not only that but I have not had the motivation to work out regularly for a couple of months and that just isn't acceptable to me anymore. Keeping fit and running were getting to be pretty important to me. I can only attritute sheer laziness to my end result (25 lbs. of extra weight, breathing heavy carrying SP for 100 yards, tight muscles, poor self-discipline).

So blog audience, I’m going to use you. Can I use you? May I enlist your support? I think that if I have an audience tracking my pathetic, I mean daily attempts at getting healthier (a far “healthier” goal than, “I’m gunna drop down to practically nuthin’”), I’ll feel more accountable.

I’m going to create a small & separate blog that will be linked to this one. It will be my Health Tracking blog where I will document all of my activities relating to getting back in shape, losing weight, attitudes, whatever. Mrs. Furious has motivated me…she’s got the right idea and she did some of this through her blog, has great widgets and I’m excited to try it too.

Will you help me?

8 Things Meme

I got tagged by Josey for the "8 Things" Meme. It's sort of a little narcasistic meme....and so it was great fun!

8 things i’m passionate about:
1. My family
2. Christ
3. Raising a well-balanced child
4. Self-discipline
5. My career
6. Planning and organizing
7. Reading
8. Being a good friend

8 things i say often:
1. Just a minute
2. Are you hungry?
3. Do you need to go potty?
4. Take a bite
5. I love you
6. You’re so cute
7. Please
8. Thank you

8 books i’ve read recently
1. Twilight Series
2. Lisey’s Story by Stephen King
3. My Sister’s Keeper, Jodi Picoult
4. The Last Days of Dogtown
5. The Hobbit
6. The New Testament
7. Harry Potter (all but the last)
8. Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood

8 things i want to do before i die:
1. See my grandchildren
2. Live on a farm
3. Serve in a natural disaster
4. Gain control over my health
5. Be at peace with myself (at all levels: spiritually, physically, emotionally etc.)
6. Own my own business as an OT
7. Retire comfortably
8. Be my daughter’s best friend

8 songs i can listen to over and over again, and probably have:
1. Little Wonders, Rob Thomas
2. Forever Young, Alphaville
3. Every Little Kiss, Sara Evans
4. What a Way to Wanna Be, Shania Twain
5. 100 Years, Five for Fighting
6. Died in Your Arms, Cutting Crew
7. Shut Up & Drive, Chely Wright
8. That’s Where it Is, Carrie Underwood

8 things that attract me to my friends:
1. They make me laugh
2. Creativity
3. Similar interests
4. Everyone’s weird but they’re “weird” my way
5. They aren’t smothering
6. They’re there when needed
7. They’re positive & encouraging
8. Understanding and accepting of my challenges, flaws and difficulties

8 things i learned in the last year: Only 8?
1. That self-discipline will be an on-going goal.
2. I didn't die when I gave up coffee.
3. Teaching my daughter that sometimes overcoming fear can result in having a lot of fun (water-related specifically) was tough-love, but that it pays big-time in the end. We both learned from that lesson & had loads of fun after a little discomfort.
4. Summer makes me lazy.
5. It’s easier to stay “on a roll”, then to try to get back “on a roll” once off.
6. Kids learn and behave better when parents aren’t around.
7. Calling the police after an accident is recommended.
8. I’m a good occupational therapist.

I'd like to pass this meme along to Katie, because she's good at these, and Mrs. Furious because I'm just getting to know her.

The Aftermath

As mentioned in this previous post, we had a Christmas dinner party tonight for members of a long-term playgroup that the Supreme Princess and I are a part of. There were four couples, and 7 children who came; a small, manageable group but still enough to make for lively conversation. There are more of us in this group but this is the core...

(top left to right) Jamie, Lynn, Korina, me.

Unfortunately and strangely, most of my pics didn't turn out but I got hold of some that Jamie took so at least I got a few. Here's Jamie with her two little turkeys.
Tuckin' in....
We ended up roasting a prime rib instead of the lasagna. It was our first and DH was all over it. We even grated fresh horseradish. It was absolutely perfect!

I got my hands on a spinach salad recipe that was phenomenol! The ingredients don't sound like much: apples, turkey, raisins, peanuts, toasted sesame seeds and then a dressing of honey, vinegar, oil, curry. Toss it all up with spinach. It was a girl salad - a little sweet but so great! It could have passed for a light lunch by itself.

The Croissant Bread Pudding: to die for. That's all I have to say. It was a huge hit.

When everyone was gone and I looked at the mess, I was reminded of a party I went to last year where as a gift, I received a little ornament that said, "I am grateful for the mess after a party because it shows me how many friends I have." Or something to that affect. I am grateful for my mess. It was a wonderful night.

Minds of Their Own

Why do some zits defy reason and explode into week-long angry volcanos when others...

accept defeat gracefully and are gone the next morning without a word of protest. Why?


BTW, right big toe had a falling out with large stainless steel bowl, and big toe lost. I'm sure big toe will shortly be losing his armor. But me? I swore...not even a single time. SP never even knew it happened.

Playgroup Christmas Party

I am a member of a group of girls that for the past 3 years or so, have been getting together each Friday for some "oh, there's my identity" time. We all have children the same age, who have grown up playing with each other. Most of us have known each other pre-children, and so to go from that to post-children, it's been fun to see how each of us handles parenthood. Some of you probably remember my first post about my Friday Playdate group from my 1st blog that has since, been deleted.

We have an annual Christmas party where we invite the spouses, and kids of course and we have dinner, exchange gifts etc.

This year, it's at my house, which is great! I'm really excited! Usually we do this potluck style but this year, I really wanted to freak them out and cook it all myself. But we know how me and cooking...from this post, and also this one.

I'm pretty nervous...all of the sudden. DH's been considering helping out and doing a prime rib roast but if that falls through, I want to do lasagna, a favorite of mine that's tried & succeeded. However, I'm also making a shrimp-type appetizer with chipolte peppers and other funky things. Obviously I've never made this appetizer before. I hope it's good.

There's a spinach salad, and I'm going to make french bread because I actually can make bread. I've mostly conquered that mountain.

Lastly, because of the influence of Kelly, I've been watching The Barefoot Contessa and she made this dessert the other night called Croissant Bread Pudding that looked pretty good! She said it was her #1 most requested dessert. How can I go wrong with that? Even if the whole rest of the dinner sucks belly-button lint, at least I'll send them off with a great dessert!

I don't pretend nor do I want to be a foodie. I'll leave that to those with real talent. But I like to dabble a little, and who doesn't like to wow their friends? If I have just a few "WOW" meals in my recipe box, I can succeed at least on that front. I'll report

Things No One Knows

• I blush when I read smut in a romance novel even though no one knows what I'm reading (I hate romance novels - many people know that though)
• I love the painful feeling when floss bites into my tender gums, and sometimes over-do it just to feel it again and again (yeah, sick huh)
• I wish my name wasn't Amy
• I love the way naked trees look against a dark sky...it makes me pensive
• I still like the smell of paste, although I haven't sniffed it since I was a 2nd grader :)
• Since about 2 years ago, I hate looking at myself in the mirror and avoid it when I can
• I'm lonely most of the time, even though I enjoy spending time by myself
• During my clepto teenaged years, I stole from a charity
• My worst fear, it's unspeakable and makes me choke and then I can't breathe
• I have a soft spot for homeless people and I give them the entire contents of my wallet whenever I can (usually $1 lol). I don't care what they spend it on.
• I'm physically unable to put an ailing plant in the trash. I feel like a murderer
• I cheated hardcore on a College Algebra final and would not have passed the class had I not done so
• I've always ached for something big but don't know what it is

Last Christmas Lights Post

It doesn't look like much but they make me happy. It was worth it. My complaining is over.

Awards, Tags & Such

I've received a few new awards this past little while, and I'm going to try to stay on top of them!

I've been presented with this wonderful award "The Friendly Site Award" from Tish at The Kat House who always has such nice things to say about me. Most are completely undeserved but she's nice like that! I'll be passing this along to Jessica, Paradox, and Polli

The next is a tag sent to me from Josey over at Stayin Silly, Feelin Lucky She also has very nice things to say about me. What would they think if they met in RL? Hmmm.

This tag is about your birthday:

What you do:
Go to Josey's site about this post and copy pick your birth month. Copy it to your site. Then, bold (italicize) the 5-10 traits that best apply to you.

Tag 12 people from your friends list. But, like Josey just don't know 12 other people (ha!) so I think I'll just send it out to whomever wants to pick it up!

DECEMBER: Loyal and generous. Sexy. Patriotic. Active in games and interactions. Impatient and hasty. Ambitious. Influential in organizations. Fun to be with. Loves to socialize. Loves praises. Loves attention. Loves to be loved. Honest and trustworthy. Not pretending. Short tempered. Changing personality. Not egotistic. Take high pride in oneself. Hates restrictions. Loves to joke. Good sense of humor. Logical.

I was born in December. I'm a Sagitarius. Although signs of the zodiac mean nothing to me, I can't help but keep one trait in my mind (and when I forget, DH reminds me). Sag's are frequent foot eaters. It just goes with the territory. So, while I am not the most logical or sexy, I love the taste of my own feet. that's some yummy toe-jam, lemme tell ya.

Josey also presented me with this fabulous award! There's a trend with my awards and I'm so flattered because when several people give you similar awards, I guess it means that it's true. So far, with each award of this type have come words to the affect that my blog is a sweet, honest one. I like that a lot. Thank you all for your awards and nice words on my behalf! I'll send this to my dedicated blog buddy: Steve

Lastly, I found this funny little blogthing and it made me laugh. A little survey tells you what percentage of the shyness factor you are. What a hoot. Although at age 5, I cried rather than sing in a group at our Primary presentation at church, I have evidently overcome all of my shy tendencies and am now...

You Are 4% Shy

You aren't shy at all, in fact, you're probably quite outgoing. You are comfortable in almost any social situation, no matter how difficult.

How Shy Are You?

Advice

After an extensive conversation with the techie who runs DH's office network, I've decided two things:

1) Never buy another Belkin router; and in fact, take the one back I bought and buy a Lynxys (sp?) The Belkin obviously is crap.

and

2) Never buy another HP Pavilion; and in fact, take the one back I bought and buy a custom-made laptop. The HP is obviously crap.

Reading this back now makes this guy sound like a really great salesperson! Hmmm. Am I a sucker?

New Computer

Friday, I unexpectedly received my new laptop! I wasn't expecting it for several more days, and I literally had to drive to the airport to pick it up or I wouldn't have gotten it until Monday (the horror!)

It was up & running late that evening but was giving me lots of quirks, especially since I know absolutely nothing about Windows Vista and Microsoft 2007. I'm still very lost!

Then...to make things even more complicated, Saturday DH and I decided to buy a new router since our old one kicks us off several times a session and has annoyed both of us to our limit. I'm talking like 3-4 times in a couple of hours! No good.

So we bought this new thing and neither of us know A SINGLE THING about setting up a wireless account. It took hours, let me tell you. Even then, either my laptop or his wasn't working, and then when they both connected, it was painfully slow.

In the interim, I was starting to go into withdrawals from internet denial, so I re-hooked up my old router and so, here I am.

And since I just found out I'm known for putting the LONG STORY LONG...that's why my posts have and will likely to be sporadic for the next few days until I figure this out.

So......bye!

The Everything Post

You know that list you keep next to your computer, or bed, or in your car or wherever it is that you write your blog ideas? Mine's scattered around the house and eventualy it comes to sit next to my keyboard. Well, mine's getting a little long which is bad considering I really never run out of things to blog about (does that say something about my verbosity - is that even a word, I know I've used it before lol).

So, I'm going to throw a few posts into one and get it out there...

My good friend Katie unexpectedly had her baby last Monday. Unexpectedly because she was planning to be induced the day after Thanksgiving but she went into labor a little early. His name is Luka and he was so tiny and precious. I felt like I was holding a loaf of bread instead of a baby. I promptly displayed my love for her and her family two days later by forgetting to take them dinner after I'd told them I would. 5:30, I'm sitting at Village Inn and the phone rings. Oops. I know she forgave me but what an idiot I am! Anyway, a public "Congratulations" Katie and family! I'm so happy for you!

What's this about babies? My little sister Ellen-Melon is having another baby! Oh yeah, she's the sister that also has a 6 month old, and a 2 year old. She'll have "3 under 3". Oh. My. I managed to croak "Congratulations", my mind spinning at the thought, but if anyone has the temperment to handle 3 toddlers, it would be her....not me. So that's happy news! Somewhat unexpected, she doesn't even know how far along she is! They're happy!

Aren't they Cute?

And, nearly 2 weeks ago, I was presented with the I've Got a Friend in You award by my blogging friend Tish at The Kat House. Thanks Tish!

I would like to pass this on to Ute, who although has polar opposite beliefs than me, is nonetheless a good friend because she doesn't let it get in the way. I like that a lot. She recently went to Germany for a month and I missed her while she was gone, and I'm glad to see her face on my blog again :).

I'd also like to pass this award along to FriendinMe, which stands for Friend in Maine, just as a little clarification that he has made himself from time to time. I don't know much about him because his blog isn't that type (like mine, all about me, me, me) but I visit it regularly for a laugh, and he's one of my more regular visitors...and commentators. I've come to look forward to his comments, because that's how I'm getting to know him. The blog world is a funny and great place!

If anyone's wondering why I put a dysfunctional link under a picture of the award instead of a link with the picture, it's because I'm stupid and I don't know how. There. There it is. It's out.

I'm working on my Christmas list in response to a tag from Jessica, another good blogging friend. Check out her extensive list of what she wants from Santa. I'm doing this, it's just taking me some time to compile the list and pics. It's harder than I thought.


I also wanted to tell you about a great website I found while lurking on Spilt Milk. There's a link to a site called Free Rice. When you go to this site, you play a vocabulary game where you guess the meaning of a difficult vocabulary word. Each correct guess earns you 20 grains of rice that are donated to a variety of countries in need such as Ecuador, Nepal, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, and the Phillipines. In a short time, I earned over 3,000 grains (about a bowl of rice). It's fun because it tests your knowledge of vocabulary and increases its challenge depending on how well you do. Try it out!

Lionhouse Rolls - They're Magical

Okay, not really magical but they're the best!

A few months ago, I was on a personal quest to find the best roll recipe. I tried so many different types. Some had sour cream, some had potatoes, some had potatoe water. Some used white flour, others wheat. They were all good rolls but none were GREAT.

My critiera was simple. They had to taste as good as they looked, and vice versa. I wanted them to be so good that I could take them to any event and have people drooling before they even took a bite. Rolls have a way of doing that if they're baked correctly.

I gave up. I decided never to make rolls again. I just couldn't find the right one!

Then, a few people I know started talking about the Lionhouse Rolls recipe. I'd heard of it before, in fact Lionhouse is popular for many great recipes. Lionhouse is primarily a Utah bakery located in the Deseret Book stores. They sell cookbooks too along with a lot of other stuff.

Everyone kept talking about how great these rolls were, so at Thanksgiving, my little sister came and made those rolls in my kitchen. And they fit the bill on all counts!

So, I want to share this great recipe with whoever is interested. Rolls are easy to make if you follow the directions correctly. Bread recipes are not the kind where you "guess", and "estimate". But the rewards for due diligence are so great: the smell, the taste, fresh bread in YOUR kitchen, the accomplishment!

Here's the recipe:

Lion House Dinner Rolls

2 c. warm water (110-115 degrees)
2/3 c. instant, nonfat dry milk
2 Tbsp. dry yeast
1/4 c. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1/3 c. shortening, butter, or margarine
1 egg
5 - 5 1/2 c. flour

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, combine the water and the milk powder and stir so the milk dissolves. Add the yeast to this mixture then the sugar, salt, shortening, egg, and 2 c. flour. Mix on low speed of mixer until ingredients are wet then turn to medium speed and mix for 2 minutes. Stop the mixer and add 2 more cups of flour then mix on low speed until ingredients are wet, then turn on medium speed and mix for 2 more minutes. The dough will be getting stiff and you may need to remove the bowl from the mixer and mix in remaining flour by hand. Add approximately 1/2 c. flour and mix well. If the dough is sticky add another 1/2 c. flour and mix again. (this can be done by hand or mixer). The dough should be soft, not sticky, and not stiff. (It is not necessary to use the entire amount of flour).

Scrape the dough off the sides of the bowl and pour approximately 1 Tbsp. of vegetable oil all around the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough over in the bowl so it is covered by the oil. (This helps prevent the dough from drying out). Cover with plastic and allow to rise in a warm place until double in size. Sprinkle cutting board or counter with flour and put dough on the flour. It is now ready to cut or shape in desired size rolls. Place on greased baking pans. Let rise in a warm place until the rolls are double in size. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until they are browned to your satisfaction.

It's All in the Details!!

The holidays have rolled around, and if you're like the rest of the world, you've probably either begun or thought about hefting up the pile of christmas crap from the basement to load onto your mantle and front porch: lights, christmas village, tree, bulbs, wreaths, santas, etc.

You've thought of everything. You are decorating EVERY ROOM in the house this year because you are expecting guests and want it all to be so festive.

But...did you remember the holiday toilet paper? Well then my friend, you are not TRULY in the Christmas spirit!

Just imagine the looks on your guests faces when, in the confined solidarity of your throne room, they begin their search of the hottest commodity, at their particular time in need, and they see this
You'll be the talk of the neighborhood! Everyone will want to come use your potty! And why not? You're the consumate host! You have thought of everything!

The funniest thing is that half of you are wondering where in the heck you can buy this stuff! Although I'm not advertising for them, you can buy it here.

Put the lid down when you're through k?

Email Spam

Have you ever noticed that exactly at the stroke of midnight on Thanksgiving until the close of day December 25th, your email box delivers 968 weeks worth of Sunday Newspaper advertisements? I get email overload just downloading them. I literally have to wade through them all to find the "real" emails from friends and such.

I am a big lover of Christmas, and I know I've said it before BUT- I hate the commercialism!!

No, I don't want to give gas as a christmas gift!
No, I don't want to buy my friends a new car mats & auto air freshners!
No, I don't want to buy my dad a new car just to show him how much I love him!
And No! I don't want to buy paper clips & ink cartridges for my husband!

Puh LEEEZE!

More About Christmas Lights

After my last post last, here, about Christmas lights on my house, I got back up there and spent a few more hours stringing them along the roofline. It took another 8 strings, and when I was done I was so excited. I plugged the extension cord into the plug with high anticipation ... and...nothing.

Can you even fathom my frustration?

I tried another extension cord since the one I was using was looking to be useless. Same thing. I wasn't sure what I was going to do about it but I knew I'd have to get up there again and do something! All those hours of work WOULD NOT be wasted.

I was putting it off until my Thanksgiving company was gone. It obviously wasn't going to take just a couple of minutes especially since I know nothing about ...well, anything related to being handy. I thought I'd get the tree up, and decorations out and then head up there but DH beat me to the punch (mainly since my rediculous "pre-lit" Christmas tree lights were on the fritz). He got up there and within 1/2 hour had it all figured out.

DUH! The thought never occurred to me that I had 476,214 million strings of lights plugged into one outlet! It took .0000002 seconds and the fuse blew. DH changed the fuse just to be sure, and again, it blew. Earth to Amy!

We ran another extension cord and Voila!, we have lights! I am now a beacon to all alien-life in outer space! As DH would say (about me),

"come...take me home!"

I feel like after all I've learned about electricity (and Christmas lights) - from this house-lights & other tree-lights experiences I've had this year, I should be awarded some type of Santa-issued "Merry Christmas" diploma!

And, of all the monopolies we, as a society, try to crush - the one that should be promoted relate to the design of Christmas light plastic hanger thing-a-ma-jiggers (oh, and actual lights). I can't be the only person in the universe frustrated by the inconsistency of these! The lack of continuity made me want to rip my hair out! Am I just simple? Ugghhhh!

Re-cap of Thanksgiving & Black Friday

Yeah! My turkey was delicious! It was done at 2pm, perfect timing. Just enough time to cool and carve and the brining, well let me just say there was not much turkey left over for sandwiches. It was spectacular! Even the white meat was juicy!

The Lord has blessed us with the opportunity to have so much, it's wonderful to have a day to spend with our families, and give thanks for all we have. Even without all the material possessions (of which I have too much), I have more than I deserve.

My sisters and I stayed up until 1:30 am planning our Black Friday strategy...it required intense concentration! There were lots of good deals to be had and we seriously had it all out on paper...where we were going to go, and when, who was going to go to what departments to get what. It was so organized!

Three hours of sleep later, we arrive at ShopKo where my sisters dropped me. They headed to Toys R Us for some other fantastic dealio. However...Toys R Us really sucks!

They advertised that they had a Zune on sale for some outrageous price and it attracted about a million shoppers who congragated for the 5am open. There were...nine...of the Zunes available. While Toys R Us had legally mentioned they had limited quantities available, they failed to mention they had less than ten! What BS! Needless to say, there was a lot of pushing, shoving, shouting, and other mayhem. My sisters gave up and joined me at ShopKo where the lines were equally as horendous! I stood in line 5x longer than it took to grab my stuff...but I got great deals!

From there, we hit WalMart, SuperTarget, Roberts Crafts, and back to ShopKo because they really have good sales on all sorts of home stuff, and electronics. It was way easier after the 5 am panic rush of the day-after-Thanksgiving-shopping "Crazies".

We arrived back home at 10:30 and again, my entire Tahoe was full. You open any door besides where we were sitting, and stuff would be falling out. Unloaded into my living room, here's a pic. It actually doesn't look like much here but I think there was a bunch that didn't make it into the pic.

We all manged to get nearly all of our Christmas shopping done. What's left is stocking stuff, and just miscellaneous . Wow! That's a great feeling! After we got home, we wrapped all of the presents (ha! the tree isn't even up, and the presents are already wrapped!), and then we all took a little snoozer.

All in all, it's been a great weekend! Now on to the Christmas decorating...

The Turkey's In...

As of 8:00, it's in the oven. I brined that big sucker like Kelly said here... I trust her. If she said it's great, then I'm pretty sure it is. It was actually sort of a fun process. I put all the stuff in the bucket, stuck the turkey in there and put it out on the deck for the night where I thought it had re-frozen. I was sort of scared as I opened it this morning. But it hadn't, whew! As I brought the bucket inside, I got raised eyebrows from DH. Evidently he's never seen a turkey in a bucket. Well, neither have I but I'll try anything once!

Dinner's at 3. The turkey's on (Butterball.com and Norbest.com said 5 - 5 1/2 hrs for 24 lbs.) You see I've padded it a little :). Most everything else is either prepared or 1/2 prepared. I was up late cooking last night with my little sister. She was a great help and fun to cook with. I'm the bossy one and she is a good worker bee.

By the end of the night we both were so tired we were cracking jokes at the dumbest things and laughing until I thought I'd pee my pants. I knew then it was time to hit the hay.

DH's vote is that Tom won't be done, I'll let you know...

The Deptford Mice History

Last night I finished reading "The Deptford Mice Histories" by Robin Jarvis. It is a a series of 3 books that are the prequel to a trilogy called "The Deptford Mice Trilogy".

When I first picked up "The Alchemist's Cat", I was a bit skeptical as to whether or not I would like it. But it wasn't very long before I was really into that book. So I went back to the library and got the next two. These three books don't seem to relate to each other as you're reading them but knowing that you have to read them to have an understanding of the history before reading the Trilogy was actually sort of fun!

I went back to the library today and got the first two books of the Trilogy, and I was a bit disappointed to see that both books aren't as big as these other books. I do like a big, thick book. But if the content is nearly as suspenseful and fun to read as the others, then I shouldn't have any complaints.

These books are found in the juvenile section of the library, in the same place that books like Harry Potter are found, which is how I found them in the first place. But just because they are written for adolescents, much like Harry Potter, they are entertaining for adults as well and I highly recommend them if you like a good fantasy series.

Parenting Styles and Thoughts on Independence

I was reading in a fantastic book called Babyproofing Your Marriage about parenting styles. This is a great book for understanding what the heck happens to marriages once the baby happens to it.

The book has a theory that there are two types of parents. One type is concerned primarily with the child's safety and happiness. The other type is primarily concerned with the child's development over time and ensuring that that child will develop necessary skills for living in the world later. These are overarching concerns that somehow imbue themselves into most actions these parents have. Not that one isn't concerned with the other stuff just that it's not the MOST IMPORTANT. Usually there is one of each in a marriage, and it's called balance. I am of the latter type. That my daugher is well-rounded, adapted and independent is the concern that colors most of my behaviors toward her.

She's only 3 1/2 and so of course it's difficult to judge if I've done a good job so far. I think I have but that's just me. But I watch her, and I like what I see. She's very independent, knows what she wants and how to get it. She's not a follower. She can play with somebody or alone. She knows how to calm herself, and to amuse herself. She's adaptable and can solve problems. This is of course all in the context of being a toddler. Then again, she throws huge fits, doesn't like to share, is rude and snatches toys from babies. We're working on these things.

But as I look at the direction we're headed, I like what I see. If we can temper the tantrums (ha, little play with words), teach her some kindness, chewing with her mouth shut, and deflate the super-ego she's going to have because of her "other-parent-type" dad, we'll be in good shape.

To all the mothers out there who share their children's time with SP, I'm sorry if she's a brat sometimes, especially if I don't notice. She and I - we're works in progress.

What Are You Eating????

I made a comment on someone's blog yesterday about what they are eating. Rather I commented that I am always interested in what other people are eating! She was running out of things to post about for the NoBloPoMo which is basically a community of bloggers who, starting November 1, committed to post every single day of the month. She was running dry. I said she she should mention what she eats. Don't you ever wonder what habits people have when they eat? I do. I told her what I ate yesterday. Very boring to me, but she lives in Australia and I'm sure she thought I was weird. Well, that's true but what can I say? Today, I had a piece of toast and a vitamin smoothie. I had a few bites of some of SP's Cheesy Noodleroni - blech, why does she like that stuff? Better question...Why do I buy that stuff? So, leave me a comment: seriously, what did you eat today? I have always been really, really curious what other people eat!

....And I ordered my new laptop last night. HP's having a big $400 sale off of a customized laptop over $1,300. So after all my customizations and the discount, it came to less than $1,000 and it's going to be a pretty sweet little machine. I'm really excited! I got an HP dv6500t (T5350 DDR2 120 GB harddrive). I also bought a little USB port extender and a memory card converter/reader thingamajig. The computer's supposedly being shipped Dec 4 and it'll be like Christmas - OH IT IS CHRISTMAS! MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ME!

New Shoes

There's a relatively new store in Salt Lake called DWS Shoes. It's in the Fort Union area where Mervyn's California used to be. I've always wanted to go in there but thinking it was probably just like Famous Footwear, I thought "why bother". I really don't like Famous Footwear that much because most of their shoes are not practical for a mother, and too trendy (and consequently sort of expensive for what you get). Such as, a pair of regular old flip flops can run you $40 depending on who makes them. That's a rip off and I don't care how much of a snob you are.

I've been trying to get some shoes for my winter outfits and to tell the truth, it's been pretty hard finding things that I really like. And I'm having to branch out of my comfort zone...which is flip flops, crocks, and strappy sandals for church. Pretty boring.

I went on Zappos.com and found a huge selection although some of their shoes were found at Amazon for like 50% cheaper, in fact I bought a pair from Amazon that I had found at Zappos. Turns out I hate them and am sending them back.

So in my quest to replace the Amazon/Zappos loafer/pumps I headed over to DSW because...I was desperate. Turns out I love that place! They have more upscale brands, not just trendy but really nice, well-made shoes by makers that you don't find at Famous Footwear, or other quick & dirty shoe places. And, their selection is humongous! Way more than Famous Footwear! Plus, they have a huge clearance section in the back that isn't just all their leftover crap. There were some good deals back there too!

When I got home, I googled DSW and was faintly amused to find that it directed me to Zappos.com. I actually wasn't surprised given the selection. It's nice to have a place you can GO physically. I think I like to actually put the shoe on before I buy it. The internet's great but for some things, you just want it in your hands before you put your money down.

I'd give you a linkaroo to Zappos or DSW but I don't want you thinking I'm doing an advertisement. Just my thoughts on shoe-buying in general.

Dear Tom

When I saw you at Costco the other day, I was so impressed! Your body spoke to me as you sat among your friends. It said, "I am yours! Do with me what you will!" I was immediately taken. There among your friends, you weren't the most grandiose but you were certainly the best I'd seen until then!

I snatched your 24 lb frozen body and hefted it into my shopping cart, the first leg of your trip to my Thanksgiving dinner table.

Mr. Tom, you weren't alive 6 years ago when I hosted a Thanksgiving dinner when one of your pen-fellows was supposed to grace my table. He wasn't so large as you, about 4 lbs. lighter but he never made it to my table in one piece. His little stubborn spirit wouldn't allow himself to cook fast enough to be done by 2pm. Poor little guy was carved up and barbequed so that my guests weren't left in the lurch.

Oh please Mr. Tom. Please don't embarrass me this year. Please have mercy on this wretched cook and be a good little, I mean big turkey. Do me proud and pop out of the oven right on time, brown and crispy and beautiful! If you do, I promise that you will be the center of attention for 10 whole minutes as we gaze hungrily upon your beautiful body, anticipating the moment when we can be one with you.

Here's to an oven that works...

Love, Amy

I Couldn't Have Said It Better Myself

While engaged in some blog lurking this evening, I came across a new blog that I really enjoy. Her name is Melanie, and her blog is This Aint New York. She has a post that I wanted to share and so, with her permission (I did ask her), I've posted the whole thing. Here it is:

Hello, My name is...

I was sipping some citrus-flavored mineral water at a party when she asked me.It was a Let's get together and chat, have some tasty appetizers, listen to a presentation about home-based business, and then browse through a catalogue of gorgeous items while considering our budgets because some of us do not work home-based, mall-based, or otherwise-based kind of party.
And I do love me some tasty appetizers.

And shopping from my neighbor's easy chair.

So she asked me. She wasn't the first. Someone else at the party had asked the same thing.
"What do you do?"

As I swallowed my sip of citrus-flavored mineral water, I paused for a moment, considering her possible response, and I answered, "I am a Stay At Home Mom."

"Oh."

Several years ago, I would not have left it at that. I would have recited my resume of accomplishments, some fairly remarkable, but most not. I would have explained the whys and the how's and the maybe one days.

But not anymore.

Oh, I could tell her what I do. I do laundry. I do dishes. I do the floors. I do the grocery shopping. I even do windows, on occasion.

I get up in the morning, still sleepy from the night before, and I roll out of bed and shuffle to the coffee maker. I start warming the frozen pancakes for breakfast and then trod up the stairs to wake my sleepy daughter for school.

I trod back down the stairs, trying not to trip over the cat who thinks she is supposed to be the first one fed. Then I check on the microwaved pancakes, pour on the syrup (I don't skimp) and set the plate at the kitchen counter, calling upstairs for my sleepy daughter to come down to eat or we will be late this morning.

Meanwhile, my husband is getting ready for work and I am trying to make sure he has clean clothes, and tell him a quick Good Morning before he rushes out the door.
Once I get the sleepy daughter to eat, get dressed and brush her teeth and do a good job or you will end up at the dentist with a cavity, I head out the door in my sweats, no make-up, except for some under-eye concealer and take my daughter to school before I start my day of doing laundry, doing dishes, and doing the grocery shopping.

But the woman at this party eating spinach-artichoke dip doesn't really want to know all of that. She doesn't really want to know what I do. What she really wants to know is who I am.
For some women, who they are is so tightly woven into what they do, that they soon lose who they are. When asked, they say, "I am a mother. I am a wife. I am a teacher. I am a doctor." Yes, they are all of those things, and all of those things are so very important in forming who they are.

And what about me? I am a wife. I am a mother. I am a Stay At Home Mom. I am a Sunday School teacher. I am all of those things, but lately, I am learning and listening and seeing that there is only one job, one identity that is truly important.

I am His.

So when I am doing the laundry and the dishes, and even the windows, my prayer is that I will reflect what Christ would have me be through Him. I fail miserably, mostly when I try to do everything in my own strength. It is when I give it all to God, that His Love shines through, not mine. Only when I humble myself and remember what I am not, can I share with other people what an awesome God He is.My prayer, my hope, is that when people meet me, they won't wonder what I do, or who I am. They won't even want to know anything about me, but somehow through my faith and failures in this imperfect life I live, they will want to know The God who helps me through it all.They will only see Him for Who He is.

They will see His goodness. His mercy. His love. And they will turn to Him and say, "Nice to meet you."

Karma

DH always is complaining how I fail to "consult" with him regarding big decisions (or even smaller ones) that I make. He says that rather, I always just "tell" him what I'm going to do. To me, if I am even opening my mouth to divulge my plans, that is a way of consulting or why would I bother? It's opening a discussion. I always thought it was just semantics.

It's not.

I was recently "told" some information that I would rather have been "consulted" on. And let me just say it was not pleasant. It was not DH; it was my mother. The information she gave me was not in and of itself the unpleasant business, but how I was informed.

I never realized how difficult it can be to be "told" something when you really should be consulted instead, out of respect. This must be what DH is complaining about, and for the first time in my life, I realize the mistake I've been making. I never could understand his point until it happened to me. Although I exhibited full-on anger at first, it quickly became apparent that it was hurt I was feeling. I've been minimized.

Black Friday

It's become a tradition with me and my older sister, who lives just 30 minutes from me, to participate in the Black Friday mad-rush sales event that usually starts typically at 5 AM the day after Thanksgiving. Some stores have even gone so far as to start at midnight for those with a huge shopping compulsion. No, I've actually never considered going. I'm still up yakking.

I've done very well at those sales in years past. I usually am able to get 75% of my shopping done in 5 hours, and it's so fun! My sister and I stay up way too late gabbing, then one of us sleeps in an the other has to go wake them up. We stumble out of the house barely awake, looking like crap because of course we don't bother to shower. We hit about 7-8 different stores and by the time we're done, the SUV is usually completely full - to the brim, window to window!

We get home around 10 AM, and unpack our loot onto the living room floor. Trying to sort out who bought what is always a challege since usually we buy several of the same thing, many things on impulse and forget who we bought things for, etc. You get the idea.

The worst (and actually a sort-of exciting part) of the sales is that you don't get the Black Friday sales flyers until Thanksgiving morning. So you basically have 1 day to decide all the things you want to buy, amongst all the other things you're trying to do that day. A prepared gift list is a must-have in order to make best use of your time.

You should see these parking lots at 5 AM though. They are PACKED! I love the mad rush inside for the hottest deals - I am RUTHLESS! Don't mess with me granny - I don't give a crap if you have a baby in your arms - get out of my way! Just kidding. I'm not that bad. Though did you hear a couple years ago about the lady who, I think, died in a Black Friday sale from being trampled? I'm surprised it doesn't happen every year!

You might think I'm weird for doing this. I don't think I'd do it if I were alone. It would take all the fun out of it not to have someone to shop with. My sister and I are so in-tuned with each other's shopping style by now, we complement each perfectly. One holds the ad, the other watches for the opening in the crowd, each of us has our eye out for a particular thing we're trying to get...watch out! Here we come!

Hubby Tag

My good friend Rachel, who recently moved to Arizona tagged me on this little meme. It's about my husband and we all know how he feels about being a blogging subject. So...read quick. This is going to disappear in about 2 days hee hee. Mama knows how to get what she wants.



1. What is his name? Honey

2. How old is he? 38

3. Who eats more? I honestly am not sure. Neither of us eats a huge amount. I eat way faster though.

4. Who is taller? have you seen me? Jason Alexander is taller than me! My man's not tall but he's WAY taller than me.

5. Who sings better? that would be me.

6. Who is smarter? I'm more book learned, but he's definately got all of the sense in the family.

7. Whose temper is worse? hmmm. that's 50/50 too.

8. Who does the laundry? me. he works hard doing other things.

9. Who does the dishes? me again, ditto answer above.

10. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? me. we sort of flip sides everytime we move. it's weird, and i've thought about it and can't figure out why we do that.

11. Who pays the bills? it's a joint effort.

12. Who mows the lawn? that's daddy's job

13. Who cooks dinner? me, most nights !@#$

14. Who drives when you are together? he does because he doesn't trust me

15. Who is more stubborn? again, 50/50

16. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? i don't know if we're admitting we're wrong, but he usually says he's sorry first because he knows i am stubborn only becase he is.

17. Whose parents do you see the most? it's a toss up

18. Who kissed who first? i ALWAYS kiss first; i'm just sort of aggressive/assertive that way

19. Who asked who out? we made a bet, and whoever lost got to pay for dinner. it was our way of avoiding asking each other out. either way whoever won the bet, we were still going out. avoidance.

20. Who proposed? he did. i refused to do it.

21. Who is more sensitive? it depends about what. if it's the SP we're talking about then he's a marshmallow, but anything else, he's a rock - and i'm the bowl of mush.

22. Who has more friends? i have more friends, but he's had hislonger.

23. Who wears the pants in the family? we each have a leg in, busy trying to force the other's leg out so we can cram our other one in...



I'm tagging Josey with this meme. I think she would like this sort of tag...

The Art and Science of Christmas Lights

There's an art & science to Christmas lights? No. It's just a big mess no matter how you try to make it easier.

I'm not the most logical person in the world manifested in all of the small and simple tasks that I somehow re-create into the most complex task it can possibly become...like Christmas lights.

I have a complicated history with Christmas lights, and should avoid them at all costs. But they're so darn pretty. They're like the flowers of winter and I hate it when I have to take them down. One of world's best inventions is the Christmas light's timer which powers those little buggers up even before you get home so when you pull into your driveway, you're greeted with all those little bulbs blinking your own personal "Welcome Home!" I love it!





Lights Timer (i love this thing!)






A few years ago, I decided that rather than buy a super expensive pre-lit Christmas tree, I would "pre-light" my own. I have a beautiful artificial tree, and I don't care what the argument...real trees at Christmas (although beautiful and scent-fully delicious), real trees are not necessary. They are an insult to the environment and just another way that we Americans look only at the here-and-now. ***Down off the soapbox***. Anyhoo, about that pre-lit business. This ties into my sheer lack of logical...ness. I wrap that sucker with about 4,000 strands of beautiul little white lights (i like the simple but elegant look) and go to plug it in *drum roll* with the female end. The necessary male end is - clear at the top, about a million miles from where it should be. I won't go into how I had to remedy THAT situation but let it be said that Home Depot does not sell an adapter, !@#$%.

DH is not a Christmas lights fellow. For 5 of our 7 years, I've not enjoyed lights on our house at all. Last year I decided I'd do it and when he got home, he said, "Who'd you hire to do those lights?" That pleased me. It was like thirty below and snowing when I did them. It was a total fiasco. These little plastic dealies you hang the lights with, well I couldn't figure 'em out. I rigged them as best as I could while freezing my hinnie off. They worked.


I recommend this kind of hanger (they're made by OMNI)





This year I decided I'd figure those dealies out if it killed me. And I did. But they way I had to orient the male end (see, I'm learning!), it ended up orienting the light upside down! I didn't care...I just kept going. Until I ran out of those dealies. I had to go to ACE Hardware and they didn't have the same brand. So I got some other kind which when I got home and got them up, actually oriented the light the right way. So.....half my lights pointed up, half pointed down. Absolutely unacceptable. I took down the first half, re-oriented them and re-hung them. This took me two days. I'm OVER lights!


Wrong vs.right
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Except that I've only done the rim of my house. This year I'd like to take it a step further and do the ridgeline, you know - sort of outline my roof. Create a ...runway! Sweet! But with my luck & logic, I'll fall off the roof. At least there's no snow up there right now! In fact, it's like 65 degrees outside - perfect weather for scaling your house to affix totally useless devices that suck up energy and escalate my power bill! Maybe I'll do that tomorrow!

Great Motto

"You did what you knew how to do, and when you knew better, you did better." Maya Angelou

If you're like me, you have from time to time, looked back over various times in your life and rolled your eyes as you remember your behavior in some random situation. I take it one step further and go hide in my closet out of sheer embarrassment. I have been such a fool in my life. What's really embarrassing is that even right now, at my old and wise age, I am still exhibiting atrocious behaviors that will no doubt cause me to blush just at the memory of it. I don't know better right now though; I just hope my friends and family forgive me.

I really like this quote that I copied above. It says everything about me, and probably everybody else on this earth. I beat my self up badly for past "behaviors", but really shouldn't. It's all I knew then...and what I learned in those situations is probably why I haven't repeated them again and again.

So, the next time you catch yourself doing something that later you cringe at, just remember that you're just doing what you know, and next time you'll do better.

Another Cooking Post

Ahhhh. For as much as I detest cooking, it certainly is the topic of a lot of posts. Really, for me anything that is REQUIRED of me is something I don't want to do, well except for eating. But even then, I hate stopping what I'm doing for a meal. I'd rather snack when I want to. It's all about me me me.

We have these franchises in Utah called My Girlfriend's Kitchen (not an advertisement). I'm sure that there are similar places elsewhere. They are essentially assembly-line meal prep places where you go make a whole bunch of meals then take them home and freeze them for later. They're a little pricey for me but I went with a friend once and it was sort of fun to help her put those meals together. Things are always more fun with a friend.

I just got invited to participate in a "Mix 'n Fix" group. The leader of the group said that it's really similar to My Girlfriend's Kitchen but it's not for profit. We all will meet up and bring enough food to make one meal, enough for 10 families (6 servings each). We have to have everything all prepped and ready to assemble. Then, we all put together these 10 different meals and go home and freeze them. No one in my family is a big eater. 6 servings will easily be two separate meals for us so I will end up with double the meals - so awesome! If it sounds expensive, it probably will cost a bit. But I have to think that 20 meals will feed my family for every weekday for a month. We eat nearly every Saturday night and Sunday I like to cook. So basically, it's my whole food budget for a month! I can handle that!

We're meeting this Saturday morning and I'm going to just try it out to see if I like it, and my family is alright with the food. Sometimes frozen dinners get tiresome. But the best thing about having frozen dinners available is that if I actually do get in the mood to cook, I can try something new and great, put forth a little more effort and not hate the fact that within 24 hours, I'll be on the spot again. Even Natalie joining in. Yesterday morning at 9 am, she said, "Mom, what's for dinner tonight?" Inward groan!

Very Expensive Nightlight

Recently, the SP hasn't been able to go to sleep without a light on and her light of preference is the hall light; the same hall light that is positioned perfectly to shine brightly in my eyes as I try to sleep also.

To overcome that problem, I decided to buy one of those cute little electric lamps that has a little aquarium on it, like an LED light and the fake fish swim by in the bluish light all night long. It's sort of mezmerizing. The problem is that one of the fish looks like Nemo.

DH made the little mistake of asking SP if she'd like a real Nemo. Being a 3 year old, she of course said "yes!". We've never had a fish tank before so we didn't know what it would take to get a real Nemo in our home!

A few dollars later, we have a beautiful 14 gallon, 150 lb salt water tank sitting in her room in place of the LED light. I feel a little silly.

Perhaps you've never thought about it, and I never had before but did you realize that when you buy a salt water tank, you have to let it run with just the water in it for like 4-6 weeks before you can even put any coral or fish in it? So we haven't even bought the fish or coral yet, it's just a tank with some water and rocks in it right now. We're excited to buy the fish though...around Christmas.

Am I a Busy Person or Just a Busy Body?

A friend has asked me several times in the past few weeks just what it was I am so busy doing. The precursor to this question is usually me telling her how busy I am that I haven't been able to call or get together or whatever.

The problem is, whenever she asks me, I have no answer for her. No tangible completed project to hand through the telephone that explains my harried condition. Nothing memorable to show for my hours of labor. Am I running in circles? Am I caught up in busy work?

We thought it would be funny if I added a little column on my blog of my daily activities so that I might feel like I'm actually getting something done, and she might know what the heck I'm up to.

Since I plan out my days up to 2 weeks in advance, I can post more than 1 day's activities because I do try to stick to my schedule. Here's what I did today:

Went to church
Had lunch
Shopped at Ikea for a table for the new fishtank (see tomorrow's post)
Drove to Grantsville to look at a 5 acre farm for sale
Came home & helped set up the table for the fishtank
Cleaned up the house, laundry
Sorted through all the Super Saturday stuff, re-ordered the mistakes
Fiddled with my stupid PDA keyboard, re-installed software
Blogged
Read book, go to bed