Finally

Well, here we are, the last day of NaBloPoMo. I feel like I should write something profound or riveting, like my life has found serious purpose because of this challenge. Not that it has, that just sounds like something that should have happened! Or that I want to blog every day now that I've done it for a month. No, actually the opposite reaction has happened. Though the thought of not blogging makes me feel like I'm slacking and I should post something!

Truth be told, I have learned from this month of daily publishing that I have more ideas than I thought I did. I have at least 6 nuggets of blogging gold in my notebook, waiting their turn to be melted down and turned into a charm on my posting necklace. (eh, how's that for analogy?) More often than not, I was met with the evening panic of, "Eeek! What the heck am I going to post about tomorrow?" I always had back-up ideas, it's just I didn't always have the time to compose. I felt like I'd be wasting that idea if I just threw it out there for the sake of posting it. I wanted to spend time with it, feel it out and create it. I just wish I had a computer that could translate my thoughts as fast as I think them!

Now, another question I have for myself. What did I hope to accomplish by participating? I think I wanted to complete the challenge. I wanted to see if I could do it. And I also hoped that I would have more ideas and that I could hone my writing skills a bit. Practice makes perfect, even in writing. Even if I didn't compose my magnum opus this month, I learned some things about my writing. If I really like the topic, the ideas just flow. Alternatively, I can be just as passionate about an idea and be completely stumped when it comes down to conveying my message.

All in all, it was very therapeutic for me. I ignored the taunts and jeers when I mentioned that such and such would make for great blogging fodder. I think I've been surrounded by blogger haters most of the time and I thought there was a stigma attached to the practice. I'm also not one to follow the crowd; if everyone is blogging, well I'm not going to. Just because I'm facetious that way. I'm glad that I did resurrect this blog and have kept on posting. What I have appreciated is all the support from my bloggy friends! Comments make my day! And since I've had such a positive experience, I will be posting more regularly. I am a little more "okay" with posting something that isn't exactly perfect. Thank you NaBloPoMo! Even if I don't get a prize!

**Tomorrow is still YouTube Tuesday!!**

Traveling: Part Deux

Where did I leave off? Oh yes, Grant and his nice 'present' to me. Well, we hopped back in the car and continued on down the windy road. Gina the GPS kept us informed that we would be arriving in Boise at 5:15 pm. As we neared Nampa, I all I felt was hungry. I asked Gina to find me an Olive Garden. Lo and behold, there was one 2.5 miles from the next off-ramp. My sister and I pow-wowed and decided that if we still fell the need for speed, we would just skip Boise and continue on to Rexburg. After all, Gina said we would arrive at 11:34 pm.

We had a lovely, filling dinner and exited the restaurant to a steady rain. Hmmmm, not ideal, but we still wanted to sleep in our own beds that night. Baby Taylor was crying, but she always calms down once the car starts moving. She doesn't like it when the car stops! Well, Baby Taylor did not stop screaming and I had hit a wall. Being on the road for 12 hours was enough. We pulled off and found the Auntie's house and crashed.

I set my alarms for 5 am, just wanting to plow home and be done. I laid in bed until 5:45 am when Baby Taylor started her alarm. I piled the kids into the car and we were back on the road by 6:45 am. 40 miles down the freeway, an interesting sight loomed ahead of us. It looked like a sandstorm wall cloud, except it was black and not sandy. Steady drizzle followed us all the way to Pocatello. *sneer* And, I think the stretch between Boise and Pocatello could be on par with I-80 that runs along Southern Wyoming as the most boring piece of scenery that ever was. It also doesn't help that I had a snoozing co-pilot and zoned out kids. Not much for conversation.

We reached Rexburg by 11:10 am and beat Gina's prediction of arriving by 11:30 am. Yes, my whole purpose in life is to beat arbitrary time limits set by a mini-computer on my dashboard. The rest of Saturday was spent unloading (a little) and then taking my sister to Idaho Falls for some shopping she needed to accomplish. Baby Taylor managed to poop through 2 outfits during the outing. And we had to cajole and sweet-talk the eye doctor at Sams Club to give Katelyn one contact. See, she forgot her glasses in Montana and last night, she somehow missed the mark and her left contact did not make it to the case. So she was a cyclops all day, trying to figure out how she would make the drive home to Montana today. We waltzed up to the Vision counter, baby visibly bundled in arms and looking very cute. We explained the dilemma and, after much persistence and cute baby showcasing, they forked over one contact. Whew, mission accomplished, time to head back home, crash into bed and get up in the morning and do it all over again. Except not for me. Only Katelyn. Sorry, sis. But she only has 4 hours to go. I'm glad we did it, but I'm glad it's done!

Traveling

*sigh* I'm pooped. We arrived, finally, at home today. Friday morning at 5:30 am, my alarm boing-ed off (yes, it makes a *boing* sound) and signaled the beginning of a long journey. Though nothing compares to traveling internationally; it was still arduous. I had the kids, bags, my sister & her 7 week old packed in the car and headed down the road by 6:30 am. It was cold, drizzly and the weather was not happy I was driving. Mounting the passes by Crater Lake, there was already 6 feet of snow on the ground. Creeping along at speeds between 35 and 50 miles an hour, it took us almost 3 hours to reach our first pit stop of Bend. The clouds had thankfully parted while we ran in and out of WalMart & the gas station, to feed both the hungry humans and the car.

Once we were back on the road, the clouds decided that they were sad we had left Bend, and started crying. It cried all the way to Burns. We were able to up the speed since there wasn't any snow & ice, but still not fun driving in spats of rain. Potty stop in Burns and then we piled back in the car. Literally, 5 minutes down the road and Grant proclaims,

"I've gotta go to the bathroom!!"

Crap. Little did I know, that would soon be literal. We pulled over into a small turnout and I took Grant around to the side of the van. Since it's a van, we only have one door to open and act as his "stall". He kind of shuffled his feet, with his little red sweatpants around his ankles, and tried to attempt the roadside relief effort. He was not being successful, so I offered to hold him on my arms and let him sit, like a toilet and I would look away. As I am squatting in the gravel with my 5 year old slung between my arm and him clinging to my neck for dear life, a truck pulls up behind us. Crap again. She was peering over her steering wheel, assessing the situation, trying to figure out if we needed help. (it was pretty unpopulated out there) In her defense, I was next to the front tire. She soon realized we needed some privacy and pulled back out onto the road. I told Grant to just ignore her and get this DONE! (it had started to sprinkle rain again) I was thinking he had #1 to accomplish; noooo, a nice fragrant #2 was deposited at Mommy's feet. Double crap. Fortunately, we were traveling with an infant and we used a diaper to scoop up our "present" and be on our merry way. (I couldn't leave that desert blossom on the side of the road; wipes, tissue and all.)

Tune in for part 2 of our merry trip tomorrow! I'm going to bed, but darn it if I'm going to skip blogging!!

Thanksgiving!

We had a great Thanksgiving get together! Now it's time to start the 8 hour drive to Boise, then another 5 hours over to Rexburg on Saturday. Fun fun fun. It has been a wonderful visit, but I'm looking forward to sleeping in my own bed. No matter how great the hotel bed may be (there have been one or two) it's still not the same as my own beddy.

I am so thankful for a car that works without worries.
-- family that I care about and that I like to visit!
-- our health. Because with 4 little kiddos, the germs could be rampant!
-- beautiful weather! Fog every morning, burning off by quarter to noon.
-- lush, green nature walks on the mountain.
-- and friends that read my blog!! Even slogging through the boring posts with me! ;)

Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!

More visits

Sorry, today isn't going to be very literary. More of a square filler day . . blech. I don't like to post them, but hey, I'm almost done with this darn challenge. I WILL beat you, NaBloPoMo!! We went and visited the kid's other great-grandparent. I counted it up, and my kids have all four of their grandparents and six of their great-grandparents. That's pretty impressive! I think it's because Spencer & I are the oldest in both of our families. The senior kids in the family get that sort of advantage! ;) And at this point in our life and theirs, every visit is precious.

And a sneak peek at tomorrow's yummies?

Cravings

I have been having withdrawals for the last 7 years. That's how long it's been since I've had anything from Butte Creek Mill. This mill was built and began operation in 1872. On the banks of Butte Creek, pioneers erected a central mill where farmers brought their grain to be made into flour, cereal and cornmeal. And the stone has been grinding along in Eagle Point ever since. I grew up with their buckwheat pancakes and steel cut oats wherever my family lived. My grandmother would send my mom the mixes monthly. Those pancakes slathered with applesauce, steaming in a lovely pile on my plate; best foodie childhood memory, hands down. My sister and I ventured to the Mill and were catapulted back in time. Pushing opening the squeaky spring-loaded door, warm drafts of cinnamon enveloped us with open arms, welcoming us home. The black wood-burning potbellied stove crackled in the corner with a pan of spiced apples bubbling away on top. The amount of goodies had grown over the years. Rough hewn shelves groaned under their burdens of cracked wheat and cornmeal. Sacks of oatmeal, spelt flour and soup mixes lay in orderly rows while jars of spices sat behind the century old plank board counter. We both loaded our arm baskets with an assortment of goodies; hoping it's enough to tide us over. For how long? Definitely not 7 years.

Baby Taylor update

Who's ready for Turkey day?

I thought I'd throw up a couple of pictures of baby Taylor and let you see how big she's growing. Since Katelyn is a pretty busy mama, I'm doing some double duty blogging for her to keep the extended family loaded with their new baby picture fix! Enjoy.

Yep, nothin' like some bath time with mama.

And the oh so elusive smile. We caught a good one!

Who's taking my picture? Put your head down, baby. You're too tiny to do that!! (she's six weeks old)

Making Memories

I'm so thankful to have grandparents that can still take kids 'on adventure' like when I was a kid. We found some huge sugar pine cones up on the mountain yesterday. And we get to take these babies home! Just in time for Christmas.

Mairyn & her great-grandpa on the back porch

Zip begging for scraps and Jacqueline being the willing enabler

And finishing the day by making hot chocolate and homemade whipped cream with Great-grandma. Yum.

Long time gone . . .

It has been 7 years since I've been in Southern Oregon. I am ashamed it has been so long. I love this area. We stopped about 25 minutes away from Grandma & Grandpa's house to take a roadside potty break (Mairyn couldn't hold it ANY LONGER!) When I opened the car door, the fresh smell of wet pine and earth came flooding in and I was almost in tears. Oregon, my Oregon, I am home. Having always had a very mobile life (Dad, 20 years in the Air Force) we moved a lot. The saying goes, "Home is where your household goods are delivered", and my Mom did a wonderful job of creating an oasis in the middle of whatever state we moved to. But when we would go to Grandma & Grandpa's, we went HOME. H-O-M-E, home. Familiar places, food and faces were around every corner. We would spend every summer in Southern Oregon. Going to the dairy to buy squeaky cheese (cheese curds), visiting the Jacksonville Children's museum, picking blackberries; I could go on and on. I am practically giddy with warm fuzzies! It rained our first night, and in the morning, with the mist slowly rising out of the valley and the sun peeking through the pines, the Rogue River flowing along, I could hardly stand it. I am home!

When you give a girl a camera . .

This is what she does . . .





Pretty productive for spending 14 hours in the car! We all made it safely to Oregon!

Chinese Water Torture

According to Wikipedia Chinese Water Torture is not as awful as everyone says it is. Actually, the Chinese never even used it. The phrase may have come from Harry Houdini's Chinese Water Torture Cell; a feat he created for an act in Berlin. Mythbusters investigated the "torture" itself, not the origins of the title, and found it was plausible for a person to be driven insane, but not definitive. No one was willing to be driven insane.

The misnomer of Chinese Water Torture; something probably not that bad, but nobody is willing to try. Sounds like Jacqui's opinion of everyday ordinary grooming habits. Jacqueline is opposed to anything that has to do with trimming her nails, washing her hair, combing or fixing said hair or washing any part of her body that needs it. Cute little pigtails are positioned on either side of those kissable ears and *yank* "No, I no like dem." Ooookay.

We can usually avoid the nail clipping encounters for about 2 weeks at a time. Sometimes, I can surreptitiously peel a pinkie fingernail off without her noticing while we read a book. But it always comes down to the weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. You'd think I was pulling the nails out instead of just trimming them so she wouldn't have to register those daggers as concealed weapons.


An Unexpected Client Comes for a Manicure - Watch more funny videos here


I really can't wait for her to be out of this stage. Her hair hanging in her face, catching any debris that doesn't make it to her mouth. I do keep it short, but it doesn't solve everything. Seriously, would I want to have to explain this in 15 years.

"Why Mom, why did you make me look like Scout?" I don't even have the excuse of "It was popular then."

So until Jacqui decides to cooperate on the grooming front, please don't mistake my little girl for some abandoned orphan. Or an extra from Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. Thank you.

Recessionista Rocks

My sister and I went to a party last night. Funny story. So my sister follows this blog called Make it and Love it. The lady that writes the blog was hosting a Recessionista party. They sell shoes, jewelry, purses, some clothing; all for way low prices. Recessionista is to shoes & purses like Pampered Chef is to kitchen gadgets.

Back to the story, she's very excited about the party and decides to come to the 'Burg a day early just so we can go. I looked up the address; 5 minutes (if that) from my house. Also, Spencer's cousin is the gal that runs this Recessionista chapter. Way too small of a world. Katelyn is in awe. (you know them?) It's hard NOT to know any of Spencer's 437 cousins. Well, probably not that many, but he's got a ton. At least 50. I am not joking; on any level whatsoever.



So here's a pic of the loot I got. I wasn't so sure about any of it; I like some of the chunky stuff, but I'm not sure if I can pull it off. But I have a black dress and I just know that those pearls would look great at a Christmas party. (like I have a christmas party to go to) And the feathers & junk in my hair is a headband. Yeah, I look like a peacock. But a peacock that wears pearls and got it all for super super cheap.

Quaint

I find the Eastern Idaho AM traffic report wildly hilarious. Reporting the traffic includes everything from Yellowstone, Jackson, Rexburg, Idaho Falls, Pocatello and Twin Falls. Seriously. If you don't know, that's a north to south span of about 6 hours drive and a parallel distance of 3 hours. I can't fathom the speedster that needs the traffic report of 8am leaving West Yellowstone because he's got work in Twin Falls. Well, someone could do that, but even so, I don't think the traffic stop on 17th in Idaho Falls is still going to be relevant in 3 hours.

I just laugh because every day the report is "Traffic in Eastern Idaho is moving smoothly". A whole section of a state! This morning a traffic violation stop was reported in Idaho Falls, a fender bender in Pocatello and ice in the mountains.

"People in Rexburg, you'll want to watch out for the fender bender in Pocatello. Maybe leave a few minutes early for work because uh, traffic could get backed up 80 miles. There's a look at our traffic and weather for this morning."

Though they overlooked an accident on the main highway between Rexburg & Idaho Falls this morning. Saw the cop cars & fire truck, too. Nothing. I'm not saying it's not reliable, I'm just saying . . . . uh, yeah, it's not reliable.

Now, the traffic reports in D.C., those are nothing to laugh at. Though comparing Idaho to D.C. traffic, it is laughable. Cairo traffic is even worse than D.C., but they didn't have traffic reports for Cairo, or at least ones that I could understand. What are they going to say?

"This morning, Ahmed left his donkey in the middle of the road while he went upstairs to have tea with his brother-in-law. Traffic slowed to a crawl around his cart and then picked up for a block. Then Sherif decided he needed to turn left when he's in the far right hand lane. Picking his way across 5 lanes of traffic, he finally succeeded, but clogged traffic all the way back to Ahmed's cart. And we're back where we started."

*for emily! to see cairo traffic*

Anyway, just something that made me laugh this morning.



NaBloPoMo update:
**seriously, i am barely hanging in here, people. i'll say it again, i'm all about quality, not quantity. i'm a perfectionist. and really, why did they have to pick november? why not september or march? the months where a major holiday doesn't occur? couldn't they see that june was lonely? i'm trying my best to get things in order, write blog posts and pack. visiting grandparents that don't have access to the internet could pose a problem for me. but don't worry, i'm determined**

A love affair

Books and me; we've always been bosom buddies. The printed word in any form; magazines, books, newspapers or billboards. I adore them. That's how my mom figured out I needed glasses. I quit reading all the advertisements and billboards. I'm sure it was a bittersweet moment.

I was always impatient at school. Meaning, when the teacher read a book, chapter by agonizing chapter, only one a day, it was torture. I got fed up and would go check the book out from the library, finish reading it that afternoon, and then be at peace for the rest of the month while she read it to the drooling masses. I was perplexed as to how they could just be satisfied with that one measly chapter a day.

And magazines, oh my magazines. Well, not mine, my parent's when I was a kid. National Geographic, Reader's Digest, Highlights, Ranger Rick, The Friend; I could go on and on. That was one of the first things that made me feel 'grown up'; when I got my first magazine subscription to my own place. My address there in the white box. But magazines were my enemy a bit. I still don't understand why the November issue comes out halfway through October. (for some magazines) Other mags would come the first week of the month, but I would have to pace myself or be doomed to remaining new magazine-less for the other 3 weeks of the month. "Okay, only Highlights this week. Then National Geographic next week." And it would be like Christmas, waiting to peel open the cover and see if they really had discovered another Mayan ruin.

And that's how we come to the digital world. I read a lot online. A lot. Mostly my news, but there are other sites (truecrimelibrary.com) that have books & stories. I'm still not completely converted to reading all digital, all the time. I love curling up on the couch with a new read; something to look forward to all day while I shuttle kids or sort laundry. I've been told the Kindle is really great. You can put books, newspaper & magazine subscriptions all in one little device the size of a piece of paper and thick as a cell phone. I have my doubts, but that looks like the future of my books, magazines and newspapers. Though, just one fantasy thought (for me), I could take 10 different books and just as many magazines on the plane with me and have it all in one place. Ooh, the possibilities!

YouTube Tuesday: Appropriate?

Yes, yes, I know. Why am I posting twice? Well, I couldn't put off posting about the riveting weather forecast any longer and duh, it's YouTube Tuesday. Two huge labels for one tiny post. Is this appropriate? I dug out a wonderful clip from a recent Soup show. Oh my, Joel McHale, you are my hero. You rock.

W-w-winter is h-h-here

Like a swift kick in the pants, winter is here. Some may say that it's always cold in Rexburg, how is this any different? I'll tell you. Since September, we have had a roller coaster of weather. Frequent typical fall weather; need-your-coat cold in the morning and tying that same jacket around your waist in the glow of a pleasant afternoon sun.

We had snow a bit early, October 5th, I believe. The last week of September, I felt a chill creep in. The next week was the snow and we shivered for a month. Then, Oct. 14th, the day Spencer flew in, he must have brought the warm weather with him from Baghdad. It was still 'cold' for him, but mid 60s felt downright balmy to us! Beautiful fall weather prevailed again and the day before Spencer left, we were digging out the cold weather coats. Even the season was sad to see him go.

It was still moderate for the next week; but progressively sliding to the colder end of the spectrum. Last Thursday, it snowed in the evening, leaving us with about 3/4 of an inch on the ground. When the sun rose Friday morning, the snow did not melt with it. Off and on, all day, the gray cover of clouds sprinkled snow down on the town.

Saturday morning, a cloak of clouds still remained, spluttering flakes here and there. All in all, we only accumulated an inch, tops. By evening, the cloud cover blew out and the wind was howling. Oh, it's been a long time since I felt that bite. The wind so sharp it cuts through to the core. Though I have to say, I am LOVING my new winter coat. I don't feel the chill. I notice it when I'm lazy and just throw a hoodie on over my t-shirt and cardigan. Layers help, right? Wrong smartypants. There aren't many barriers that can keep Jack Frost at bay.

My marvelous mother & father in law took the kids on Saturday afternoon and I had some time to myself. When I went to pick them up that night, we stepped out onto the porch, and into the wind, to say goodbye. I looked at my father-in-law and stated, without a doubt,

"Winter is here. Isn't it?"

He nodded his head solemnly, "That it is, my dear. That it is."

And even though the clouds have been gone for 2 days, the high today was only 31F (0C). Chilly chilly, willy the penguin.

Brrrrr. . . .

Movie Review Monday

Don't know if this'll be a pattern, but I have to review a good NEW movie when I see one.

2012

Starring: John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, many others and most memorably, Woody Harrelson


I had heard rumors of the movie floating around, but I wasn't really interested. Oh great, another end of the world humans ruined the environment movie. No thanks. But then I looked at the line-up of actors and I was enticed. And there was nothing else worth seeing at the theater and I had a kid-free evening!

Warning, it may put some people off, it's a long movie. 2 hours and 48 minutes. But I didn't glance at my watch out of boredom once. (I only looked because I really had to go to the bathroom, but didn't want to miss anything. I still had an hour left. Awesome.) I like long movies, if they're good. I love getting involved in the movie, then, worrying that it's almost over, I look at my watch and breathe a sigh of relief, "Whew, still another hour and a half." That was me watching LOTR: Return of the King.

I have to say, I like John Cusack. It probably all began with the movie, "The Journey of Natty Gann". His character Harry was a bit like a protective big brother. He wasn't my first movie crush (that place will always be held by Jim Craig, THE Man from Snowy River) but one of the first. John Cusack has great screen presence, in my opinion. Always completely in character, and an underlying command of cool-ness. Another Cusack great? Grace is Gone. Definitely slipped through the cracks. Or maybe not, I think it came out while I was in Egypt.

Next in line for kudos in this show? Woody Harrelson. He plays this crazy mountain man that has his own AM radio station broadcasting his "predictions" on the end of the world. And penchant for pickles. He plays crazy very believably, without going overboard. But is he crazy?

This isn't an environmental movie. Alham-dulah-freakin'-Ia. I was completely wrong about any preconceptions. I thought it was going to be loooong and boring. Wrong and wrong. The special effects? Truly amazing. Realistic. All in all, I think the movie did a good job at keeping the line of believability and plausibility at bay. It was only crossed once or twice. But even then, flying into a burning, gaping maw that used to be Pasadena? Priceless.

I'm not going to lay the movie out for you. For most of my favorite movies, I was completely clueless as to what it was about and ended up in love. One of my notorious 'hated' movies? The Italian Job. Spencer kept trying to convince me that we should buy tickets, he'd read about it (this was all going down in the theater lobby). I told him I didn't want to see some Mafia shoot-em up Godfather wanna-be show. Boy, was I wrong. I'm sorry I ever doubted you Marky-Mark. Another wonderful sleeper? Knowing with Nicholas Cage. **

So, this may not be a conventional movie review, more of a friendly suggestion, really. I love to share new, good things with my friends. I don't want to shove this down your throat, but you HAVE to see this movie. Love love loved it, see it when you can.



**Will post hilarious story about when we went to the theater to see 'Knowing' next week. I can only promise that because it's NaBloPoMo.**

Uplifting Moments

On Friday, I was motoring along the West Yellowstone Highway when my phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Yes, this is Sally from Sassy Floral and I am on your porch with a floral delivery."

"Oh!" I said, trying to hide my surprise, "How nice!"

"Can I leave it with your neighbor or on the doorstep?"

"Uh, I'll be home in 3 minutes, you can just leave it there."

I was just 3 minutes from home. I pulled up and there was this sitting on the front steps.



(sorry, I didn't take a pic on the front step. it's freakin' cold here!!)

Spencer had sent me flowers. Just because. It sure brightened my day!

Busy work: Done

Fortunately, this busy work has been productive. I have been toiling over my converted bookcase and I think that I can say, with confidence, that I am DONE! Having been foiled by weather, children and my own hurdles, it has taken almost 3 weeks. But I am finally DONE! Creatively, I had some issues with color and design that slowed me down a bit (my own fault) but I just HAD to finish. So now it sits in the garage until the smelly fumes of aerosol dissipate. The spray-painty hands and toiling in the cold garage are done.

And the other beauty I made this morning?



Courtesy of Super Saturday.** I really didn't feel like going, but I had already paid for the project, the time was set aside for it and I knew that it was something I would complete within the time frame allotted. Very, very pleased with the fruits of today's labors. Whew. I'm going to take a nap.


** Super Saturday**
For those of you who aren't familiar with the term, Super Saturday is where we women of the Relief Society get together and work on these personal projects, socialize and usually throw in a humanitarian project, like making quilts or hygiene kits (which we did today). And there's usually soup. On the posters reminding us women of the activity, it's usually spelled 'Souper Saturday'. But I thought that might be a bit confusing without the explanation.

Oh, the Relief Society is a philanthropic and educational women's organization and an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saint. (LDS Church). Founded in 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois, the Relief Society is one of the oldest and largest women's organizations in the world, claiming more than 6 million members in over 170 countries and territories. (thanks to Wikipedia for the concise and easy definition)

Jumping the gun

I have mixed feelings about when Christmas decor is displayed. First of all, I love it. I wish we had a larger time frame to have the place decorated. But it seems that stores just can't wait to get the holiday stuff out there. Maybe it's so blatant to me because I haven't been exposed to it for 4 seasons. I saw Christmas phrase plaques (Joy to the World; Believe; etc) at Sam's Club in September. Sep.tem.ber. I'll give them a little slack, though, seeing as how buying in bulk is all about 'being prepared'. But all the other stores? Mid-October, about the 15th, and all holly & berries break loose! Halloween things go on 25% off and early Christmas sales start. (backing up even further, I saw Halloween candy August 29th. Stuff that in your trick or treat bag!)



The reason for my mixed feelings? I kind of feel like Thanksgiving is getting shorted. I'll admit that November 1st, I listened to my all time favorite Christmas song, 'Silver Bells' by Elvis, just to feel a little in the spirit. But now my fall leaf garland and harvest themed wreath on the door almost feel out of place. I have driven by no less than 3 houses that already have lights up. And as I drove down Main street on Wednesday, there were wreaths on the lamp posts and a huge scroll-like garland thing strung across the first intersection. Really?


I know that in Canada, Thanksgiving is earlier; so Christmas festivities and decorations start sooner, like the beginning of November. But that's fair, no more holidays for them until Christmas! I guess I'm just an advocate for giving each holiday a fair chance. Though look at me, I didn't have one ghost, witch or skeleton gracing my porch. Halloween, I don't give it a fair chance. One, because I really really like a harvest theme; pumpkins, fall leaves, hay, and gourds. And two, I'm lazy. When I can decorate in September and leave it all up until Thanksgiving, who wouldn't want to?



But all this early Christmas stuff is really trying my patience. September to New Years; favorite time of year, hands down. Seriously, I am past excitement and moved strait onto giddiness over my Christmas decorations this year. I themed. Yes, I themed. So if I can wait until the day after Thanksgiving, everyone else can too!

The pretty preview

The view from my gym

Even after four years in Egypt, I still found some things "cool". Let me explain. In the summer, we take our 6 week R&R to the States. It's bound to come up where we live.

Random Person: "OH WOW! Egypt! That is so exciting and exotic! How do you like living there?"

Now, here's my dilemma. How truthful do you want me to be? I'm an honest, to-the-point person. I'm a person that doesn't put on a front. I can also be kind of snarky. How honest should I be? You know all they want to hear is how wonderful & amazing it is to live abroad. Should I unload the un-romantic side, or just smile and nod? I do a little of both. Here was my standard answer.

"It's really the opportunity of a lifetime. I get to explore amazing sights whenever I want. But you know, I also never thought it would feel so normal. Get up, get kids ready, go grocery shopping, etc."

They think of my life as being on vacation and why in the world would I want to waste any time back in the States. That's usually where our conversations would end. Any further and I'd be forced to shove ice picks in my ears.

A normal life. Where grocery shopping for dinner can take all afternoon. Why would Seodi's carry that particular pasta today when I've seen it there every other time? Or trying to find a needle in the city that might as well be one huge haystack. Or the power and water is out for the umpteenth time this week and "Insha'allah bukra" it will be fixed tomorrow.

I still got up, took kids to school, paid the bills and even went to the gym. (that was a habit begun in the last year there) They have a Gold's Gym in Egypt. I found that cool. I don't like the gym, I hate the gym, honestly. Why would I go to the gym? Because I had a great gym buddy (thanks Sar) and a goal. To meet that goal, I had to meet the gym. So one day, after a grueling work out, Sara & I went out on the balcony of the gym. It was on the 9th and 10th floor of an office building that included a bank, children's clothing stores, the X-Ray office, a pharmacy and a vacant Dunkin Donuts shop. I think a sandstorm or something had just blown through because the view was extra clear. We scanned the horizon and there we could see both the North and South Saqqara pyramid complex. Fortunately, I always carried my camera with me. (you never know) And so was born a paradoxical picture. A snapshot of my every day life; a view from the gym. Looking straight at the oldest structure on earth. Yeah. For a little while, I was cool like that.

South Saqqara

North Saqqara; the step pyramid

Same view, only zoomed out. They're really there, I swear. Look along the horizon, ignore the smog. (this was a clear day, people.) You know how things look differently in a picture. I have awesome zoom on my camera. Just like Typ0

And the view looking North. If those buildings weren't in the way, the Great Pyramids of Giza would be visible. Darn civilization.

Our Mini-moon!

No, I'm not talking about baby bums. Spencer's last weekend here, he surprised me by whisking me away to some Mayan ruins. Yes, and they exist right here in Rexburg. About a mile down the road, at the AmericInn.

I thought Spencer was acting a bit . . . funny. We had discussed having a date night that weekend, just the two of us. I started urging him that we needed to find a babysitter, trying to figure out what we wanted to do, where to go, etc. He just kept saying, "Oh, we'll figure it out." It was Thursday night, I told him we needed to figure out something, fast! He finally caved and said that his mom was watching the kids and that, since we would probably be late, it'd be a good idea to pack their pj's, toothbrushes, etc.



Ok, good! I kept needling him for input on where we should eat, what we should do. He just said we'd 'go with the flow'. Whatever that means. Well, mid-afternoon on Friday afternoon hits, and he says to pack my bags, we're leaving! He'd arranged for his mom to pick the kids up and finally revealed that we were staying overnight somewhere! We drove a mile down the road and pulled into the AmericInn parking lot. Not very far, but hey, when we had leftovers from dinner and no fridge in the hotel room, we just drove back & put them in the fridge at home.



We stayed in the Mayan Ruins themed room. (and i discovered a fridge behind the door painted to look like a crumbling wall.) Fireplace, jacuzzi, king size bed, and a huge TV. To add more icing to the cake; Spencer got up early, picked up the kids and let me sleep in. I stayed all morning; had a leisurely breakfast, luxurious bath and precious alone time. I felt so pampered!

YouTube Tuesday

This theme is not as easy as I thought it would be. I have many great YouTube video favorites; but one that will appease the masses, stretch across generational boundaries and find something that will be a crowd pleaser, not so easy. I wasn't looking for an 'easy day' (well, maybe I was). I just had so many in that file, and usually, when I get together with someone, one of us has an "Oh, you have to see this video" moment. And I thought this could be a way to share it with a bunch of people all at once, instead of waiting until we're in the same room. 'Cause frankly, that ain't happening for 98% of my audience. So, I chose a couple for some specific people today.

Connie, this one's for you. And by the way, doesn't that guy look like Taylor Hicks, except better?



For my sisters. Sorry you'll have to click the link, this video can't be embedded.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AN5YbfFszlI

And for all my Egypt comrades; what up, homeslice? Yeah, you know you like it, Sara!




And last, but not least, this one's for me. Have you ever watched The Soup? That show is what keeps my light on, gives me the fuel to keep on keepin' on and has me guffawing for a solid 30 minutes. Seriously though, this one may be a generational thing. (and I only say that because my mother reads this blog, too.) Love ya, Mom!!



Seriously, I have it DVR'd every week. Subscribe to WatchTheSoup on YouTube. Shouldn't I be receiving monetary compensation for this free endorsement?

aaaand, one more. go now. you know you want to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKZ4ZJ49QHc

The Reason is you

Ok, it's one week into this beast called NaBloPoMo and things are going pretty good. I'm really not sure why I'm taking on this challenge of posting every day for a month. I believe in quality posting, not quantity. But I saw it as a challenge that I wanted to try and so I'm tryin' it.

One of hubby's tasks while he was home was to get the desktops set up. Yes, we have two desktops. One downstairs called Monstro that the kids can use and my little red baby upstairs called Little Red. (yeah, original) I love Little Red; if you go to your bookshelf and pull out a dictionary, that's about the size of my computer. And it's a desktop! (dell studio, if anyone's curious.) Anyway, the real reason I started talking about that was . . . um, I think I lost my train of thought. Ok, hubby's task was to set up my computers aaaand, yes, I have been enjoying having it set up and all of my bookmarks back. Before we left Egypt, hubby's other task was to group all of our digital media into one place. Pictures on one external hard drive, music on another, you get the picture.

I flipped Little Red on and there were all of these pictures from Egypt that had made the dump to my EHD (is that a real acronym?) but for some reason, not wiped from my computer. I made sure we cleaned up afterwards. Oh well, I have been tripping down memory lane the last week. I'm not getting teary or sentimental. Egypt will never be viewed through rose-colored glasses by me, no matter how hard time tries to soften the rough edges. I miss my friends and acquiantances and the memories we made. I don't miss this.

That was me trying to give Jacqui a bath in the morning. Our water pressure sucked big time. So much so it looked like it sucked most of the water intended for my kid's baths back into the tank. Big pain in the . . . you know where. The case usually was that our landlord had turned off the water pump overnight and the tank would take half the day to fill, so if I could give kids a bath between the hours of 11am and 2pm, the water pressure was fine. (that was actually when I would do laundry b/c the water would only trickle out of my washing machine as well.) But let's play the Glad Game, my precious Pollyannas, I can now bathe 3 kids in 20 minutes flat. Bathed, scrubbed, dried, dressed and brushing teeth. (the fourth showers herself. big kids are great.)

I call this "Truck 'o' Meat". Oh the unsanitary! (mode of transport) Yum.

The Lost in Translation signs. I considered getting business cards for Spencer with this sign on them! Nah, not really. (yes, really.) This was at some horse stables by the pyramids. 'Cept the horses didn't look as healthy as that 'stud' on the poster.

Really, I could go on forever, I've got 4 years worth of it! Anyway, I guess I'm just saying that I'm grateful to be here where I am now; a house with a yard, great water pressure, clean meat and a blog on which to share it all with you!

Baby Fun

I have been lucky enough to have my sister and her husband bring my new barely 4 week old niece to visit for the weekend. We have had so much fun. Well, I've had lots of fun. Katelyn & Chris did some napping, which I didn't mind a bit! That meant baby Taylor was ALL MINE! Don't jump to any conclusions, I'm pretty sure we're not going down that road again. It is very nice to cuddle a tiny baby when I'm not the one nursing it, or quieting the screams or getting up at night. *shiver* Not envious at all. But here's some wonderful pictures we were able to capture on Saturday.

Mairyn enjoying some one on one time.

Grant & Taylor; doesn't his face look a lot better?

Sage waiting patiently for Jacqui to drop a morsel of cheese stick.

Eliza & Taylor

And here's my gorgeous sis. I took her to the old grain elevators for the amazing backdrop and she provided all the beauty. And photogenic goddess-ness. How's that for having a baby just 4 weeks ago?

What the . . . ?

I came out on my porch yesterday afternoon to this sight.

Our pseudo-see saw in the front yard. (wonderful thing. i bought it in Egypt for 25 LE or about $5. two kids can sit on each end and rock or one kid can sit in the middle and still have the same effect.) It's still wrapped up because I just extracted it from our garage and frankly, it's been a bit cold to play on outside and what with the ominous winter coming, I thought it would be better protected in yards and yards of plastic sheeting. But the fact that it was in the front yard as opposed to the back yard (where I had placed it) was the disconcerting matter. It wasn't hard to figure out who was the culprit. The wind. Rexburg is a windy place. If the temperature doesn't get you, the windchill does. Frequently, the weather on wunderground.com will say 43F but feels like 28F. Brrrr. I've lived in Alaska where the temperature can live at -50F. Negative fifty! But without any windchill. People hear it's my first winter in Rexburg and just grin, "Wait till winter comes!" they say smugly. What they don't know is that I've been married to an Idahoan for almost 11 years and I've experienced Rexburg winter. That and I lived in a northern climate from the age of 5 until 13. (North Dakota, Northern Minnesota, and Alaska) I'm still coasting on the thrill of having actual seasons right now; I relish the chill!




So . . . . . I wanted to post the video I took. I don't know why my video isn't working. Hmmmmm. That's a pain.

Progress

How is it possibly Friday? This week has felt so short, but yet felt like an eternity at the same time. Grant has been improving day by day. He has been on a soft & liquid diet and since Wednesday, allowed soft & cut up food. It's like I have a baby again! Applesauce, yogurt, jell-o, cut up cheese, turkey, & bread. We're taking the wait and see approach with his two front teeth. The dentist wants to try and keep them around for as long as possible. So we're trying to enable that. Though he did say that from the x-rays, he could tell Grant has bumped these teeth many, many times. True dat.

The other progress I made this week: my sideways bookshelf. I was measuring some storage boxes and realized I could put in 3 shelves on the end sections! That extended the project a bit. But now they are all in. I'm spray painting it a textured multi-color black. Meaning the color is black with teeny tiny flecks of white and gray mixed in. As you can see from the sheet, I've started with the back; hiding any early screw-ups. It's not coming out exactly the way I want it to. I may have another run to the spray-paint store to try and remedy this. Don't worry, I'm motivated! There is a slight chance of precipitation Friday night. Though in Rexburg, that means, "Not a chance!" But that doesn't mean there won't be ice! I hate scraping!