Tree Trimming

In the comments of this post my sister Holly said:

We haven't gotten our tree yet, but hopefully we will this week! I haven't helped decorate our tree for three years now, so I'm looking forward to the "mad dash"!:-) YOU know how it goes!!!

Yes, I know how it goes! All the ornaments were packed in one box. As soon as the box came down, everyone scrambled to find their own ornaments, and then the "mad dash"--to put all your ornaments on the most prominent tree branches! (who wants their special ornaments hanging on the wall side of the tree???)

One "special" year, we got our tree on the 21st of December. We put it up. And took it down and put the lights back on, and redecorated. And again. And again! The problem was a little monkey of a sister who was hiding behind the tree, twisting the lights in the sockets, till the lights would all go out. So then we'd take the ornaments down, take the lights down and find which light was burnt out.

Now of course, my parents didn't realize what the problem was until the last time around. Otherwise, it would have been dealt with!

We kids had had enough of tree trimming for three years! So the day after Christmas, the tree came down! It was up for 6 days, and totally redecorated 3 times.

And then, how could I forget OUR first Christmas tree? Kevin and I had been married just six months, and we went and got a real tree. Mmm, smelled so good. We had a good time putting up our tree. We went to bed. About ten minutes later, we heard a loud sound from the living room that would indicate the tree had fallen over. Now, since I didn't have to do anything about getting the tree back up, I thought it was terribly funny, and laughed my head off. However, the person putting the tree back up didn't think it was so funny.

The next year, I bought a fake tree. I figured it would be easier to deal with than a real tree. The following summer, we were moving, and didn't have room for the tree. In July, I listed the tree in a circular that had free listing. I had about four or five calls on it, but the lady who called first got it. I thought we had paid $40 for it, so I asked for $25. As Kevin was carrying it down to the car, he spied the price tag on it (and took it off, hoping there weren't any others on it!). $19.88. OOOPS. I made a profit! LOL

The next year we bought another fake tree, but we've just kept it. It may not be fancy, but it's nice enough for something that is only out one month of the year!

Who Will Win???

OK I admit it. I watch The Biggest Loser every single Tuesday night. That is my one and only show that I watch on tv. The rest of the time, I don't even care what's on. I started watching it about 6 or so weeks ago, and have been hooked ever since.

Tonight one of thee people is going to get $250,000 for losing the most weight. So if you watch, who do you think will win? Matt? Suzi? Seth? I'm rooting for Suzi!

Mmmmm...pumpkin pie!

Last Wednesday night, I made a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving--totally from scratch, even the pumpkin. Well, the evaporated milk was canned. But the pumpkin was cooked and pureed, and made into a pie. Even the whipped cream was from cream that I whipped. (Would Martha be impressed? Probably not, because I burnt the sweet potatoes while I was baking the pie. LOL)

It was so good that I made another one tonight. I told Kevin that I was making him a pumpkin pie. He contradicted me and said that I was making it for myself too. Well, he was right. *grin*

Someone I know *ahem, no names called!* said that the first time she tasted pumpkin pie, she was a teenager at a ladies meeting. She didn't like her pie. So she threw it out the window. Ohhhhh I laugh each time I think of that. This same lady *ahem, still no names mentioned* also threw a white chocolate bunny into her neighbor's yard from her bedroom window(of course this was when she was little). It's too bad the neighbor was also the person who gave her the bunny! Hehehe

Oh well, I guess I got off the subject. :-) I love pumpkin pie! It's one thing I won't fling out a window! Now, take peas, for instance....those are worth throwing out a window! Hahaha

Have a great day, everyone!

A tromp through the snow

Last night after 10, Kevin and I went for a walk. It was so pretty outside! It was still snowing some, and the ground was covered in snow. We walked down to the park, and walked up the hill. Several kids and adults were sledding (and now we want to get a sled too!). I love going outside at night when there is snow on the ground, since it's so light out!

This afternoon, the weather has warmed up and all our snow is melting away! We have the sweetest neighbors next door--they have a snow blower, and they did our sidewalk too! Yesterday morning, they went four houses down with their snowblower! I also noticed that they shoveled a path for the mail carrier, since she walks across the lawn. It's nice to have such sweet neighbors.

A tree full of memories

Last night Kevin and I put our Christmas tree up. We've never put the tree up so early, but then, we've never been home for Thanksgiving either. We played Christmas music for the first time this year, and sang along. :D

Our Christmas ornaments are not beautifully coordinated by color or theme. Rather, they are each a memory. We have a few from Kevin's childhood, and a few from mine. One of my favorites is a little stuffed lion from my K-2nd grade teacher, Mrs. Neumann.

Another one that holds special memories is the ceramic candle ornament that my great-grandma made for me.

Each year, for many years, my grandparents (my mom's parents) have given me an ornament. Since we've been married, they give Kevin an orament each year too. That means we have 5 baseball players on our tree. :)

Each year as I unwrap the ornaments, I am reminded of the circumstances of when I received them. I have many happy memories hanging on my Christmas tree!

Berri-Good Bigelow Tea

I'm sitting at the computer sipping a cup of Berri-Good tea. Mostly I'm ignoring my dishes and laundry that need to be done...but I am enjoying this new tea!



Beverage Online says:

Introducing an entirely new concept in tea drinking, R.C. Bigelow, a major innovator in tea for more than 60 years, has created an exciting new line of herb teas flavored with real fruit juices. A patented technology produces a proprietary process of encapsulating real fruit juices so they can be married with a blend of natural herbs to make teas bursting with real fruit juice flavor. And Bigelow Fruit Juice Herb Teas are packed in foil-wrapped tea bags so consumers can take them wherever they go!

I don't really taste the "juice" in the tea. I guess I was expecting a cup of juice, and I got a cup of tea. LOL I know that I'll enjoy the tea though, and since I drink at least a cup a day, it's nice to have a good variety of herbal teas!

Mr. and Mrs.

Kevin's mom got married on Thursday, November 17th! It was a beautiful wedding, and we were so glad we got to be there!

Here is a picture of Kevin's mom and I in the room where she got ready:


I have never cried at a wedding before...but hearing Kevin's mom say "I LaVonne..." just started my tears. :-) I was just so happy to hear those words! Happy for her, happy for Hank (her new hubby).

Here's a picture after the ceremony:


Kissy, kissy:


Kevin and I before the ceremony:



The cake that a friend made:

Do not congregate...

Yesterday morning on our flight to Washington, the pilot made a pre-flight annoucement. In that announcement, he asked that passengers not "congregate in or around the lavatories." Little sleep and the ridiculous thought of "congregating" IN the tiny bathroom gave me the giggles. :-) So much so, that the passenger next to me commented to Kevin, "That sure struck her funny bone."

Today's the day!

Kevin's mom gets married today!!!

It's 8:20 here in Washington, but I've been up since 4:20 this morning--I went to bed at 7:30 p.m. and got a good night's rest. Since we're only here for a few days, I want to try to stay adjusted to MY time zone.

We've been "partying" since 4:30 this morning...Kevin's mom couldn't sleep (hmmmm...think she's excited or something?), and of course Kevin and I were up early, and also Kevin's aunt (from Iowa). So we've been having a grand old time together. :-)

I'm looking forward to the wedding this afternoon. We just met Hank yesterday, and it's neat to see how in love Hank and Kevin's mom are. :-) We're so happy for them!

I may not be around for a while...

I am filling in as receptionist for two days (Monday and Tuesday) at Kevin's work, and then on Tuesday, we are leaving directly from work to head to Chicago. We'll be staying with my uncle and aunt, and then flying out in the morning to go to Kevin's mom's wedding.

We are so excited for the happiness Kevin's mom has found, and very happy that we are able to go to the wedding! The wedding will be on Thursday, and we'll be flying home Saturday.

My week will be busy!

Messages in my bulk mail

*Sigh* There's a reason why all these e-mails go to my bulk e-mail folder. I don't know how or where they get my address...but they have it!

*Be a cop.
*Donate a car to improve taxes, reputation, and self-confidence!
*Call center options for your business.
*Take the next step Tammy
*Find vacation heaven with a time share!
*New 2006 models have arrived
*Become a travel agent in just one week
*Betty Crocker Online Shopping The Finishing Touch For Any Occasion
*Betty Crocker Online Shopping Celebrate in Style This Holiday

Am I interested in any of these "offers"? No, not in the least. That's why I clicked "empty folder". :)

A bug bit me!

The scrapbooking bug, that is! I have always said that when I have children, I will do scrapbooking. However, I realize that day may not ever come, so I have decided to go ahead and do scrapbooking. I have two whole pages under my belt. :) It's fun! I found the best scrapbooking store I've ever seen. It's huge, and has everything you would ever think of, need, or want for scrapbooking!

The store has a cropping room, which looks like it would be fun to use. When I went they were having a sale on their clearance items--75% off. Some of what I purchased was clearance, but mostly it was regular price. Their prices aren't too high, for the paper and stickers. I want to get an album, and I was looking in Wal-Mart, and they have some nice albums for around $10, which is much cheaper than this store.

Now that I have a digital camera (that takes wonderful pictures), it will be even more fun to scrapbook! I took some of my pictures in to Wal-mart to be developed, and I was amazed at the quality of the prints from the digital. They are so sharp and the colors are rich. (Thank you, Kevin! :) )

My new name =)

Which Jane Austen heroine are you?
created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Elinor Dashwood. You're Elinor Dashwood, the "sense" of Sense & Sensibility! You tend to hide your emotions, but you feel deeply. You also feel obligated to carry the burden of keeping everyone in your family under control.

Which Jane Austen heroine are you?
created with QuizFarm.com

Lunch with a friend

This afternoon I had a friend over for lunch. About a month ago, she'd had me over for dinner (while Kevin was taking an evening class), and I wanted to have her over.

She has a little one year old baby, and he just started walking a few weeks ago. He was into everything, but his mom brought toys for him, so he did pretty good. He got a little rebellious when she wouldn't let him play with the tv/vcr, but after diverting his attention, he left it alone!

I made Italian vegetable beef soup and biscuits. I was going to make a salad, but I ran out of time. Oh well. Soup was enough. :) I didn't have anything for dessert either. I need to leave myself more time when it comes to having people over. I always underestimate how long it will take to get things done, and then I'm rushed at the end, and praying they will be late. LOL

States I've been in

(Click on the map to see it larger)


create your own personalized map of the USA

Some of the bottom states were a guess, since I was little when we went through them. We moved from Ohio to California when I was 9. There are probably more states that I've been in--I was born in South Carolina (and don't remember it!) and I know we drove from SC to Ohio. However, I just don't know which states those were!

Thanks to Mrs. Happy Housewife for the link!

Ten-Three-Thirty

My Aunt Jeannie posted about "10-3-30" and I liked the idea so much I will be doing it too. Click here to read what she has to say about it.

In a nutshell, you spend:

Ten minutes
Three times a day for
Thirty days

meditating on one one or more Bible verse(s).

The verse I have chosen for this month is Psalm 143:10. "Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness."

I may or may not be able to meditate on it three times a day, but I plan on doing it at least once a day. I found a blank notebook, and I'm writing down ways God has spoken to me through this verse.

I'm looking forward to this 10-3-30 challenge!

If you want to join me in it, let me know what verse you are doing! I'd be interested to know.

Time Change/Battery Change

We changed back to regular time yesterday. I've heard to change your batteries in your smoke alarm when the time changes. So this morning, we checked the smoke alarm. It didn't have a battery in it! We had the right battery, so it now has a battery in it. I'm glad I remembered to check it! Having a working smoke alarm is important!

Bonfire!

Tonight we went to a bonfire after church. A couple in our church has it every year at their home, and invites all the people from church over.

We were supposed to bring hotdogs, buns, and a snack. I was going to make cookies or something, but I got distracted this afternoon and cleaned off the desk and did a lot of filing, so I forgot about it. But I did take hotdogs and buns!

We had a really nice time, and stayed later than we thought we were going to stay. I talked to a lady for quite a while, and was really enjoying the conversation, when Kevin came to tell me it was time to go. So *sniff* I said good bye. :)

Now that we're home, and away from the fire, my clothes don't smell too good. The smoky smell at a bonfire isn't bothersome, but once you're away from it, the lingering smell on your hair and clothes doesn't smell too good.

Bonfires are fun. :) It's the only time people want to eat burnt food! haha

20 Things About Me Tag

Here are the rules: Write 20 random facts about yourself then tag the same amount of people as minutes it takes you to write the facts.

I haven't been "officially" tagged, but since both Holly and Rebecca have done it, I figured I might as well too. =)

1. I got a flute from my parents as a high school graduation present. Yes, I can play it. No, I haven't played it for a long time!
2. I have taken typing tests and gotten up to 90 wpm. If I'm going for accuracy, I need to slow down to about 65-75 wpm.
3. I wear size 7 1/2 shoes.
4. Last winter I learned that 30 degrees can feel warm! This discovery was made after a week of below 0 weather.
5. Kevin proposed to me on a ferry which was crossing the Puget Sound. I wasn't expecting it, because I thought he hadn't asked my dad :) .
6. I'm turning 29 in a few days.
7. My glasses are the first thing I find in the morning. I don't get out of bed till they are on.
8. I love to read.
9. Kevin and I met at my church. My pastor introduced me by saying I was a crazy driver.
10. I'm not a crazy driver. =)
11. I taught school for one year at a small Christian school (2003/04 school year).
12. My all-time favorite movie is The Shop Around the Corner, starring Jimmy Stewart.
13. I'm 5 feet and 1/2 inch tall. That 1/2 inch is important. ;)
14. I like to write with blue ink the best. Black will do if it's the only thing around.
15. People always say I look young, usually they say 13 years old. I think I've grown up a little--the picture in this post is me on my 13th birthday. But then, when I was 13, people thought I was 6 or 7. Everyone says I'll appreciate it when I'm older. Huh, I'm tired of people thinking I look like a kid!
16. My first ever trip to the emergency room was last month, for my finger slicing event. I'll stay out of the emergency room from now on, thank you. It's not a fun place to wait.
17. The first baseball game I ever watched was with Kevin, after we were married. He had to explain everything to me. (I never cared about sports at all--and having 7 sisters who didn't either, I knew nothing about most sports!)
18. I love Boyds bears.
19. I decorate my kitchen in apples.
20. I don't care to paint, especially cupboards!

If you're reading this, and you have a blog, consider yourself tagged! :) I didn't pay attention to how long it took me to do this. Besides, it took a while, so I doubt I know enough bloggers to tag.

My Busy Day

I knew that today was going to be busy....I had an appointment at 9 and another one at 2.

The morning appointment was an interview at a temp agency. The office was very busy (which is a good thing!), and when I arrived home, I had a message from the lady who interviewed me saying there was a part time position that had just come in! I don't know if I'll get the position or not, but it's encouraging to have the possibility!

After my interview, I went next door to a thrift store that I had noticed when I pulled in the parking lot. It was a big store, and run by a local mission. I have to say that even in the midst of old clothes and furniture, I saw a Christian testimony. This thrift store is the cleanest, nicest thrift store I've ever been in, and it didn't smell! Thrift stores are usually so stinky. They had free coffee and hot chocolate in the back, and free pamphlets on salvation at the register. I was really impressed. While there, I got a set of brass candlesticks, a Rudy Atwood record, and a flannel shirt. I need to get some brass cleaner for the candlesticks. I have the perfect spot for them.

Then I stopped by the grocery store and got chicken breasts. They were $1.49 a lb. (boneless, skinless). I got $20 worth.

Home again, home again, jiggedy jog--for a short time to heat up my soup and have lunch. I jumped on the computer and said a quick "hi" to my sister and sister-in-law. (That's called multi-tasking. *grin*)

My 2 o'clock appointment was for an "orientation" at another temp agency, for a job assignment I'll be doing next week. I'll be doing registration at a woodworking convention. I know it's going to be a lot of work, but I'm looking forward to it anyhow. I've done registering at conventions in the past, and have always enjoyed it.

And then, I went by my regular grocery store, and picked up the rest of my groceries. Afterwards , I went to the fabric store to see if they had a particular fabric I've been looking for. They didn't. So I came home. And crashed. All that running around is wearisome!