Don't Speak

You know those families that are PERFECT and the kids never move during church? Well the other day I was watching a family who has perfect children and two of the boys started doing something the older sister (I think she is 10) didn't like so she shot those boys a look that made me wince in fear.

The other day Jessie and I were making cookies and I think I did the same thing to her and she started laughing and made the observation that our lives would be pretty funny if they were silent movies.

That is so true.  Recently I've been looking and observing people and their actions speak loud enough for me to know what is going on.  It is really fun.  Everyone should try it.

It is like eves-dropping on people. My favorite pasttime.

For He's A Jolly Good Fellow

Happy Birthday Rodney!!!

Merry Christmas Adam!!

A couple of years ago on December 26th my friend Rodney left a message on my answering machine wishing Katy and I a "Merry Christmas Adam!"
Christmas Adam being the day after Christmas and Christmas Eve being the day before Christmas.
I thought that was quite clever yet fictional, until I was watching Jeopardy one evening and found out that Rodney had it halfway correct.
Christmas Adam is an actual legitimate day.
Adam comes before Eve and Christ came next. So it goes Adam-23rd, Eve-24th, Christ 25th.
So Merry Christmas Adam everyone!!

A Couple Cookies Short Of A Platter

I needed to get something out of my car today and I hadn't yet attempted to get into it after the ice mess.  I headed outside armed with a can of De-Icer and went to work.

I sprayed in all the hinges of the doors, trying to get at least one open.  I sprayed all 4 and cleared the ice away as far as I could tell and kept pulling at the handle and I swear I was about to rip the handle off the door I was pulling so hard.

I went inside to let the car sit for a sec, maybe it needed a rest.

As I was on my way back out the door I spotted my keys and decided to do a little trick I heard about once.  The trick? Unlock the doors, then try and open it.

I'm an idiot.

Walking In An Icy Wonderland

I have been hoping (sorry to anyone this inconvenienced) for a nice ice storm before I went back to Rexburg.  I think it is SO pretty and Rexburg doesn't get ice storms. (they claim to have bad winters but come on...a foot of snow doesn't compare to a 1/8th inch of ice)  

Well I got my wish! (again... sorry to anyone that inconvenienced) 

Nubbins and I went on a walk t see how pretty everything is and to visit Max the lonely dog out back.  Nubbins LOVES the snow and nothing makes him happier than slipping around on the ice!

I love how the ice coats every single branch on the trees and every individual pine needle.  

The trees look so pretty yet so funny because instead of the traditional point up branches everything is weighed down with the ice.

I tried to get a good picture of my Christmas Jack-O-Lantern 

because it looks like a pumpkin encased in a 1/2 inch of glass.  It didn't turn out so well but It is SO cool! Everyone should come by and check it out!  

 

Don't Ask Me W-H-Y

Have you ever picked up a habit and you aren't sure from who or where you picked it up?
Lately I've been spelling out words. For example, "I'm so E-X-C-I-T-E-D that we had an ice storm! I haven't seen one in F-O-R-E-V-E-R!" And of course these habits take forever to abolish. Every time I spell out a word I slap myself because I hate doing it. I sound like a G-E-E-K! I'm not sure where I picked it up but I know it is so A-N-N-O-Y-I-N-G.

Happy Hallowe....I mean Merry Christmas!!!

I do enjoy a good white elephant gift!
Above is our Christmas pumpkin. It was a while elephant gift I won last night. Kind of a cute idea. Who would have thought there would still be good pumpkins in December?
We've been putting up and taking down Christmas decorations.
After Thanksgiving we put up all of our Santa ornaments and then after St. Nicholas Day (December 6th) we take down our Santas and put up nativities and such.
We usually set up a candy tree in the kitchen but this year we put up this tree instead.

Before you say, "Wow! That is an ugly fake tree." Keep in mind that my dad made. Out of turkey feathers even.
We put up all the Santa type ornaments we had on it. We have since taken them off and are just putting some of our newest ornaments on it.
I think we are waiting for Tuna to arrive before we put up the rest of the ornaments.
She'll be home on Wednesday!
Woot Woot!!

WHAT THE HECK??!?!

I hate blogging two in one day...in a matter of minutes actually... because I'm selfish and I want everyone to read all my blogs and I usually just read the blog on top, BUT as I stood up from writing my last blog I found this on my counter.

  

If this means nothing to you read this previous blog.

It's Not Mine...

Does anyone have things floating around their kitchen counters or living room that no one claims to know anything about.  As if the pair of bright pink socks magically appeared on the chair in the kitchen or the game piece crawled out of it's box all on its own and ended up in the middle of the living room floor?

About a week ago my parents and I returned from a grocery shopping trip.  I was getting stuff out of bags and then folding them in the handy way I learned from Laura when I spotted a piece of notebook paper amongst the other pieces of mail.  I picked it up and it didn't take much to decide it wasn't mine.  I asked my parents if they knew anything about it and of course they had never seen it before in their lives. 

 

So there it is.  Some random piece of paper that was on my kitchen counter.

I've decided that perhaps the universe stole this out of some little kids backpack and they went to turn in their art assignment and their homework was missing.

Like when a sock goes missing in the dryer, I'm sure it has turned up in some random location.  I found a sock in the middle of the potting shed the other day. (the potting shed, for those who don't know, is basically the central spot for everyone on the grounds at NRI where we have a sink and pots and tables and a fridge and no socks...usually) I'm sure that sock is missing from someones dryer.

So if anyone is looking for a wool sock, with a grey toe I know where it is. 

Shameless Plug

About a month ago we had our carpets professionally cleaned. The day before the cleaners were supposed to come I tried to clean my carpet so it didn't look too bad. They said we didn't have to worry about moving our couches but my dad and I moved and vacuumed underneath and around and put them back in the same exact position as if they had been sitting there untouched.
(isn't it typical to spend all day cleaning your house and as soon as someone comes over you say, "sorry the house is a mess, I haven't cleaned in a while." and it isn't as though your company doesn't know the truth cause she can smell the clorox wipes in the garbage can)
Anyway... after vacuuming and cleaning in anticipation for the cleaners to come I thought of how upset I'd be if my dog had "an accident" the day after the cleaners came.
My mom and I went to Wal-Mart in search of a new vacuum and walked away with a vacuum and a spot deep cleaner.
I got home and immediately opened the Bissell Little Green spot cleaner. I love vacuuming and I love gadgets so I was like a kid in a candy store. I assembled the very easily assembled parts, I mixed the very easily mixed solution, I plugged in the very easily plugged in machine and decided to tackle a dirt spot that had been on our carpet for years.
I turned on the machine, sprayed a little solution on the spot, put the vacuum piece to the floor and slowly (just like in the commercials/info mercials/home shopping network) moved it over the spot.
To my utter amazement there was a white strip right down the center of the stain.
I am not exaggerating here.
I know I/my dad has a history of exaggeration but I cross my heart hope to die stick a needle in my eye promise that the Bissell Little Green is the most amazing effective spot cleaner I've ever used.
That spot had been on my carpet for more than a year and I know for a fact I've used spray on spot cleaners before and it hasn't done a thing for the stain but the Bissell sucked it up with no problems.
I went through the rest of my house doing demonstrations for my mom, my dad, my brother, my dog, myself, the imaginary TV crew right ahead of me. I was AMAZED!
I regret not having purchased one of these when we got our dog.
Not only does it do carpets though, it does upholstery too. My sister accidentally spilled some ranch in my brand new car and I Bissell Little Greened it right out of my car. Good as new!

I LOVE my machine and would recommend it to anyone! It is so lightweight and easy to use. And the vacuum sucker thingy sucks out the excess water on the carpet so when you are done it is practically dry already.
AND to make matters even better it isn't called the "Little Green" for nothing. The box it comes in is recycled cardboard, the machine has virtually no PVC and is made with recycled plastic.
ok...so I have no idea what the benefits of no PVC are but recycled plastics!!

Well this blog is getting long and I'm sure a little boring.
If only I could convey how amazing the machine is.
I'll give free demonstrations to anyone who wants one. I'll clean your couch or carpet or car or anything! Seriously, I love it that much.

Blog Happy and Bored

I've been kinda blog happy lately I guess.
At the moment I'm bored and playing around on a website I stumbled across called faceinhole.com.
It can be fun. I'm afraid to search too deepy though cause I don't want to find something I don't want to see, but for now here is my first creation.
good stuff


Create your own FACEinHOLE

Batteries Not Included

I have this song on my iPod called "The Twelve Pains Of Christmas"

One of the pains is "batteries not included".

I agree that is a pain.
It is also a pain when other things aren't included.
For example, the other day I was getting ready to wrap some presents and I found a hand dandy wrapping paper cutter that claimed to make the job a lot easier. I opened the never before opened package and couldn't figure out why it wasn't cutting.
Then I found a paper enclosed in the box.
I took a picture of it.
the box didn't say "razor not included". Good thing I had scissors on hand or I'd be pretty upset.
Who would think, "I'm buying a gift wrap cutter, I bet the blade isn't included."
Stupid.

Kenny and Rowdy and the Car

You know how sometimes things happen that are a once in a million thing. Like...Ok I can't think of an example so I'll get on with the point. Tonight Nathan was coming over to my house and he brought his dog with him and left the dog in the car. As Nathan was leaving the house he got about 20 feet from his car and his dog jumped up and his paw hit the door lock button and Nathan heard the doors lock.

He wasn't too concerned because the keys were in the ignition and his drivers side door doesn't lock with the keys in the ignition. Well this time it did. So we spent about 20 mins trying to get the dog to step back on the door lock button but he just wasn't quite getting there. We ended up calling Kenny, the NRI Security guy and he came and saved the day..err...night.
(forgive the picture quality. I left my camera at the Fudge Factory so I had to take pictures with my phone)

Speaking of once in a lifetime things! Have you ever noticed that if you put a picture on your blog that you end up wanting to delete sometimes it doesn't delete or it takes forever to delete. And then sometimes if you accidentally click the backspace button the picture you want to stay in your blog deletes and you have to go back and put it back in?
I had to put Kenny's picture in like 3 times because I kept accidentally deleting it, but with the tombstone picture from my earlier blog I had a different picture up and I couldn't get it to delete. I finally had to go the the edit HTML tab and delete it that way.
LAME!

"...And Then We Slowly Froze To Death"

I took my dog for a walk today.
It wasn't too cold outside but it has been so there is a little ice in places but most of it took the opportunity to melt today.
This summer my dad had water plants in pots outside our house.
As I was on my little walk with nubbins I realized that the pot which held the goldfish was completely frozen over.
Poor little guys must have frozen to death.

Making A Mountain Out Of A Molehill

I know this is nothing to get worked up about. To be honest I'm not really worked up I just felt the need to blog something.
I Hate the song I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.
Firstly, if I were a kid and I saw my mom kissing someone besides my dad I'm pretty sure I'd be upset, not watching through the stairs laughing about how fun it would be if my dad saw it.
Secondly, I have an Andy Williams CD and in the middle of the song he does a tap dance and says (right before the tap dance) "...and then a reindeer came in and began to dance."
That is a whole other level of disturbing because what is the joke behind I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus? The kid doesn't know that daddy is Santa Claus. BUT if there are dancing reindeer in my living room then mommy really is kissing santa and poor daddy is asleep dreaming of sugarplums.