For Sale

I bought a game to play with some friends. I didn't like it much, so I'm selling it on ebay. I told Shawn I was thinking about writing up the description to read like I thought the game was rigged. He liked the idea, so that's what I did.
Check it out here.

Grilling Goodness #16

It's Friday again? Where did the week go? Well, we all know what Friday means. It means I get to play along with my friend Tina, and answer some pretty random questions. Grab a paper plate and a soda! Here goes!

1. Do you and your spouse still celebrate Valentine's Day?

Our anniversary is a week and a half later, so we don't really make a big deal about Valentine's Day. I usually get a card, and Hailey always gets a rose from her Daddy. We have an unspoken rule that no one buys me candy, because I'm on a perpetual quest to lose weight. But if NO chocolate shows up sometime that day, I'm secretly disappointed.

2. When's the last time you licked a stamp?

Oh, goodness! I don't even remember the last time I licked a stamp. I was very glad for the peel and stick revolution, because they were starting to experiment with flavors for the glue. YUCK !

3. How many clocks are in your home?

We have one in the living room, two in the kitchen, one in Hailey's room, and two alarm clocks in my bedroom. There are two alarm clocks because we set one ten minutes ahead of the time Hubby needs to get up. This way, when his alarm goes off, he turns it off, curls up behind me to snuggle for ten minutes, and gets up when mine goes off.

4. What holiday is closest to your birthday?

My birthday falls right after Mother's Day. Shawn complains every year, because it means he has to think of something special two weeks in a row. But he gets it in reverse the next month, because his birthday falls right after Father's Day.

5. Do you cook anything the same way your mother made it when you were growing up?

I make a pot roast just like she did, but most everything else is a little different.

6. Do you pay bills online?

Sometimes, but I pay most of my bills over the phone.

7. Will you be gathering to watch the Super Bowl on Sunday?

We are having a wild party over here. Bring food!

8. Have you treated yourself to something this week?

I made chicken and dumplings early this week, and ate ENTIRELY too much!

Y'all can totally grill some goodness, too! Just follow the link and let Tina know you've played.

Our Own Personal Narnia

Yesterday Caleb informed me that our lamp post looked like Narnia to him.

We have our very own Lantern Waste.

Wordless Wednesday, winter wonderland

Grilling Goodness # 15

1. Have you ever ridden a horse?

Yes, I used to love horse-back riding, but I wouldn't want to do it any time soon. I don't think it would be fair to the horse.

2. Have you ever run out of gas?

I have never personally run out of gas, but I have been with someone else who has. I will have to let her tell the story in her own words.

3. How many different schools did you attend growing up?

I went to three different elementary schools before I was homeschooled.

4. Do you have, and use, a library card?

I have, and use my library card regularly. In fact, yesterday was library day. They like it when I come, because I keep them funded. I don't think I remember more than once when I didn't have a fine to pay.

5. Hand-wash or dishwasher?

We basically hand-wash the dishes and put them into the dishwasher for sterilization.

6. Does your alarm clock beep or play music?

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP GET OUT OF THE *&%^$#) BED, YOU %#&)#%{!!! BEEP!

7. Do you know how to roller skate?

I do know how to roller skate, and I do it about once a year when our church has family skate night. I used to be really good (when I was a skinny kid), and in my mind I glide around the rink with grace and ease. But, sadly, in reality, I skate like a hippopotamus on wheels. I start off very stiffly, with all my muscles tense. I have to literally remind myself to lean forward a bit and relax. It doesn't take long before I am actually moving forward, arms flailing to keep myself steady.But then I realize that I am moving at an alarming rate, and if I fall, there will surely be blood. You know, the bigger they are, the harder they fall, and all. It always makes me ponder the wisdom of putting tiny little wheels under this much woman, but I can't seem to stop myself. I did have to laugh at the poor little girl who fell in front of me, though. She looked up to see all ---lbs of me rolling her way, and she didn't bother getting up. She frantically scooted out of the way.

8. What would you consider one of your biggest accomplishments?

I don't feel like I've accomplished anything very big, to be honest. I'd say something cute, like my kids are my greatest accomplishment, but God created them, and they aren't finished yet. So, today my greatest accomplishment is that I woke up, snuggled with my son for a while, had my quiet time, and ate oatmeal for breakfast.

Epidural, please!

Whose idea was it that only women who have babies in their body get relief from their pain? I mean really, I could use a little medicinal relief flowing through a catheter in my back too!

I have...

Look at what I stole from a friend!
(She said I could)

This is a list of possible things you've done in your life...bold the ones you've actually done. I've also decided to color a few things I'd like to do in red. Enjoy!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted-well, sketched
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie -What? I have the video!
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check - unfortunately
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square -during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade!
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle -not mine, people!
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous -Matt Lauer
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Ralph S. Mouse, indeed!

I'm not a squeamish momma.

Well, I'm a squeamish momma when it comes to bugs and spiders, but tiny little rodents don't bother me.

Well, tiny little rodents bother me when they are in my house, but when I find them outside, I think they're okay.

Apparently, I think they're okay when they are in Hubby's workshop, too.

As I was exiting said workshop, arms laden with the tools needed for the job to which I was commencing, a little bundle of hair caught my eye.

I backed up and looked again.

And I saw the cutest little brown mouse hunched in a ball on a battery charger.

I put on a pair of gloves.

I put on an extra glove over first pair.

I very quietly, very quickly caught him in my hands.

Say hello to my little friend.

Darwin Awards

Yes, it's that magical time of year again when the Darwin Awards are bestowed, honoring the least evolved among us.

Here are the glorious top 10 winners:

1. When his 38-caliber revolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a hold-up in Long Beach, California, would-be robber James Elliot did something that can only inspire wonder. He peered down the barrel and tried the trigger again. This time it worked.

And now........ the honorable mentions:

2. The chef at a hotel in Switzerland lost a finger in a meat-cutting machine and, after a little shopping around, submitted a claim to his insurance company. The company, expecting negligence, sent out one of its men to have a look for himself. He tried the machine and he also lost a finger. The chef's claim was approved.

3. A man who shoveled snow for an hour to clear a space for his car during a blizzard in Chicago returned with his vehicle to find a woman had taken the space. Understandably, he shot her.

4. After stopping for drinks at an illegal bar, a Zimbabwean bus driver found that the 20 mental patients he was supposed to be transporting from Harare to Bulawayo had escaped. Not wanting to admit his incompetence, the driver went to a nearby bus stop and offered everyone waiting there a free ride. He then delivered the passengers to the mental hospital, telling the staff that the patients were very excitable and prone to bizarre fantasies. The deception wasn't discovered for 3 days.

5. An American teenager was in the hospital recovering from serious head wounds received from an oncoming train. When asked how he received the injuries, the youngster told police that he was simply trying to see how close he could get his head to a moving train before he was hit.

6. A man walked into a Louisiana Circle-K, put a $20 bill on the counter, and asked for change. When the clerk opened the cash drawer, the man pulled a gun and asked for all the cash in the register, which the clerk promptly provided. The man took the cash from the clerk and fled, leaving the $20 bill on the counter. The total amount of cash he got from the drawer... $15. [If someone points a gun at you and gives you money, is a crime committed?]

7. Seems an Arkansas guy wanted some beer pretty badly. He decided that he'd just throw a cinder block through a liquor store window, grab some booze, and run. So he lifted the cinder block and heaved it over his head at the window. The cinder block bounced back and hit the would-be thief on the head, knocking him unconscious. The liquor store window was made of Plexiglas. The whole event was caught on video tape.

8. As a female shopper exited a New York convenience store, a man grabbed her purse and ran. The clerk called 911 immediately, and the woman was able to give them a detailed description of the thief. Within minutes, the police apprehended him. They put him in the car and drove back to the store. The thief was then taken out of the car and told to stand there for a positive ID. To which he replied, 'Yes, officer, that's her. That's the lady I stole the purse from.'

9. The Ann Arbour News crime column reported that a man walked into a Burger King in Ypsilanti , Michigan , at 5 A.M., flashed a gun, and demanded cash. The clerk turned him down because he said he couldn't open the cash register without a food order. When the man ordered onion rings, the clerk said they weren't available for breakfast. The man, frustrated, walked away. [*A 5-STAR STUPIDITY AWARD WINNER].

10. When a man attempted to siphon gasoline from a motor home parked on a Seattle street, he got much more than he bargained for. Police arrived at the scene to find a very sick man curled up next to a motor home near spilled sewage. A police spokesman said that the man admitted to trying to steal gasoline and plugged his siphon hose into the motor home's sewage tank by mistake. The owner of the vehicle declined to press charges saying that it was the best laugh he'd ever had.

Zucchini part deux

Took Cricket on a couple errands, leaving the Z-Meister in the playroom again. I looked through the door before we left to see that the dog door was, indeed, closed. It was, although not quite all the way. It actually locks in place, and it wasn't locked. But I didn't mess with it. He couldn't possibly get out of it, right?

W.R.O.N.G!

Instead, he shimmied the door up enough to get outside, but it slid back down after he was through the door, effectively locking himself outside in the 45 degree temperature. (I'm glad it wasn't raining) Fortunately, he stayed inside the fence today, and I will be putting him inside his crate, inside a closet, inside a locked room the next time I go anywhere.

Or, at least I'll make sure the doggie door is locked.

Whichever.

Stuff and Nonsense

I have been tagged by Kelli at The Land of Boys. She tagged me with a photo tag. The rules are pretty simple. Go to your picture files. Click on folder number four. Click on the fourth picture. Post it. It's as simple as that.

Like Kelli, I was worried that it wouldn't be good, but here's a shot of Caleb going up for a shot.

Yesterday will not go down in history as my finest day. After hearing the news that my pastor is retiring, and trying to process the info, I heard some other devastating news. I ended up texting my sister, who was sick at home, something flippant about both pieces of info. Turns out she didn't know the second. I'm SUCH an idiot.

Then I got home, and we found Zaccheus running free in the house. We had put him in the playroom behind the gate before we left, so we figured he had somehow climbed over it or through it, or under it. Apparrently, he is quite the Houdini, which makes him, I suppose, the Zucchini. But then we realized that I had left the dog door open, and we already know he can get out of the fence. (the little brat!) So, either he climbed over the gate, and into the kitchen, or he got out of the fence, let himself inside, and closed the door behind himself, or he got out, a neighbor found him, and put him in our unlocked house while we were gone. I hope if the last one is true, which is the most likely, that they didn't do anything yucky while they were here.

Proof that Zaccheus descended from the anteater

I'm serious, people. He can lick your brain through your nose if he gets too close!

Phriday Photo

I know I already posted today, but I had to share my new toy with you.

I posted a picture of the fireplace Shawn and I built once upon a time, but look at the beauty we whipped up this time!
Of course, we didn't build it from scratch, like last time. We just took it out of the box and assembled it. But the fact that I got it for 50% off the original price makes up for that. Don't you think?

Grilling Goodness # 13

1. What's your 'dream machine' - as in vehicle? Do you think you'll ever own it?

I am personally partial to the Nissan 350 Z. I think it's sleek, and sexy. (if, indeed a car can be sexy...)

2. Can you water ski?

I learned to water ski when I was pretty young. My dad actually screwed a board between my skis because I couldn't hold my legs together to stand.

3. What kind of milk to you prefer?

I prefer whole milk, but we drink 2% instead.

4. Have any of your pet peeves 'gotten your goat' this week?

Um, Hailey having her classic meltdowns.

5. How do you prepare your taxes? HR Block, Turbo Tax, by hand - or does someone else do it for you?

I have used TurboTax online for years. I swear by it. I actually do all the preliminary input in January, while we wait for W2s and paperwork. That way, when everything comes in, all I have to do is input the missing numbers, file, and in 10 to 16 days my automatic deposit it in the bank, and I am at the store shopping. ;^P

6. Did you start a workout program this New Year?

Um, not yet, but I hope to soon...

7. Do you have a certain meal that you cook each and every week?

No, I usually go by whatever is on sale, meat-wise, and build from there. So, it varies.

8. When do you normally write your blog posts?

Whenever the creative juices flow, or Tina posts a Grilling Goodness.

Wordless Wednesday, dog run- complete with awning covered dog door

Grilling Goodness # 12

1. If you could have done something different in 2008, what would it be?

I would have:

started blogging

bought Shawn a car, from halfway across the state

raised ducks as a school project

worn size six jeans

had a fabulous girls only weekend

found my babies' pictures

posted video of Sound Docrine singing on youtube

saved a tiny puppy from imminent death

yet again, saved tiny puppy from imminent death

gotten the best surprise birthday present in the WORLD

cried with other Christians, worldwide, over the loss of a child

been on TV with some friends

realized that long distance motorcycling is not for me

watched my baby girl learn how to bake muffins

started building my son a bionic arm

torn apart a wall and gone to IHOP in my jammies

started geocaching

thwarted what was surely a robbery attempt

played play doh with Caleb, complete with pictures

realized I am a loser

gotten up close and personal with a dead skunk

built a tiny, tiny trailer

bought a new house

seen the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

taken the kids for a day of fun in NYC

Oh, wait, I DID all that!

2. What is something that you know will happen in 2009?

I will flawlessly execute a backwards somersault over two bags of concrete, simultaneously landing squarely on my bottom in a Rubbermaid tub of water, then flipping my legs over my head and standing up to see if anyone but Shawn saw me accomplish such greatness.

3. What is something that you hope will happen in 2009?

I will live, laugh, love, cry, scream, hug, kiss, hope, dream, teach, hold, fuss, worry, sing, text, blog...

4. Do you already have a vacation planned for this year?

Not yet, but a camping trip is in the planning stages...

5. Are you relieved that the holidays are over?

When I have my tree put away, I will be relieved.

6. Did you make a resolution? Will you share it?

I resolve to live today like tomorrow is not a guarantee.

7. How old will you turn in 2009?

I am not ashamed to say I will be 37. (really)

8. What did you do to celebrate the New Year?

We enjoyed the hot tub with family.

Flarp

Some people are naturally good gift givers. Some, however, generally stink at the art. Shawn, for example, usually ends up spoiling the surprise before the time comes.

But if you are exceptionally lucky, like me, you have one person in your life who is very, very good at giving the perfect gift. This person is probably very thoughtful, and by that, I just mean that they put a lot of thought into creating perfection with a gift. Said gift doesn't have to be especially expensive, it just has to fit the recipient to a T. And by that, I don't mean clothes, necessarily, although sometimes it is clothing.

The perfect gift giver in my life is my sister, and my kids were delighted to get their Chritmas gift from their Aunt Chris. She spent about a month compiling a bag full of little delights for each of them: bubblegum scented lotion and body wash for Hailey, mirrored spy glasses for Caleb, Jolly Rancher flavored lip gloss for the girl, a harmonica for the boy, among all the wonderful assortment in Caleb's bag was a canister of Flarp. In case you don't know what Flarp is, I will enlighten you. It is essentially a can full of farts. And who doesn't like hearing a good poot? Of course the toot putty produced, along with the sound of butt burps, uproarious laughter.

Thank you, Auntie Kiss!

My Steaming Hot New Years Party

We finally have a hot tub!!

It's leaking a little from the drain valve, but that'll be fixed tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Sis and her hubby came over for a chocolate covered strawberry and a dip in the tub.

You know, the tub that fits in the hole in the new deck.

Happy New Year!

Yippee!