I Giggled The Whole Time I Was In The Shower

Hey now, where is your mind going?? ;)

My family likes to play games. Board games. Card games. Tag at the Christmas tree farm. Hiding weird things in random places. First was freaky, scraggly, fake rat. The rat was found in places like under your bed sheets, in a brown paper bag (and you thought you were just getting groceries)... you get the picture. It tragically went MIA soon after Bryan and Jessica got married (hmmm ;) After the disappearance of rat, the family was left empty handed without a subject for our demises. But alas! Mom and Dad, on their Seattle trip, found the perfect replacement. Batmon(key), as I like to call him, is a caped monkey that doubles as a screaming slingshot. Insert your fingers in the pockets on his hands (his arms are nothing but elastic. sexy), pull his feet back, and let-'er rip! He flails through the air screaming the whole way. Quite hilarious.

Today, Chris and I had the whole family over for January birthdays lunch. This evening I took a run on the treadmill then headed to the shower... aaaand laughed until I got out.

After texting Mom and Dad, (and wigging Dad out because my text was the wording of the title of this blog... he thought I meant to text Chris :) come to find out, Emily had hid Batmon(key) at Bryan and Jessica's while she house-sat. So they are the culprits today...

I've decided that he should have his picture taken at every "stop", then I'll make a picture book with all of his adventures to be passed down from generation to generation. We'll see where he ends up next. But I giggled tonight.

Dear Fitness Gurus,

Chris and I have decided to start a fitness competition.... The winner at the end of 3 months will get their prize of choice. For me, it's this watch, (or one similar). For Chris, it's a snowboard (just the board, mind you, not the whole giddy-up).

So we decided that since our scale has a body fat feature, we would use that as the gauge. It's probably not the most accurate, but it's just the control, so it should be fine. We both have separate goals; I want to lose a certain poundage, Chris is more into building muscle, even though he does want to lose some also.

My questions is this. Is the body fat scale a good control we can go by? Even though I have less to lose than him, also I'm a girl and (lucky us!) we naturally have more body fat than guys... I've been thinking it over in my head and I go back and forth as to whether or not this method would work. Is there something else that you think would be better? Thanks for any input! :)

that magical transforming aerosol can that is spray paint

I bought an Advent Calendar on clearance at Target for $7. You didn't notice the crack on day 24 right? Good, cause I didn't either until I got home... Well I like silver, but the color silver doesn't scream "Christmas" to me, but red does! I. Love. Red.

Some spray paint and masking tape, bada-bing, bada-boom! (Don't mind me in the mirrors taking the picture)

I used a nail file to get the tape stuck down in tiny places

Ta-Da! Can't wait to have little munchkins and put little notes/candy/gifts in each cuter-than-clementines cubby for them to open :)

Homemade Anti-Bacterial Wipes

One of my least favorite things to buy (from the list of "living necessities" i.e. toilet paper, etc.) are antibacterial wipes. They are extremely convenient, but $3-4 for a tub of 100 [off-brand] dinky, barely there wipes? Doesn't sound bad unless you have to use 8-10 just for one bathroom cleaning. Well I decided I would try and make my own :) And since they're made from washcloths, I'm thinking I'll only have to use one per bathroom cleaning (leaving the toilet for last, of course :) All of the supplies today cost right under $9.50, and from now on I'll just have to buy the concentrated solution, which is even cheaper than one "disposable wipes" tub!

Lysol ultra-concentrated all-purpose antibacterial disinfectant: $2.42

(I could have gone even cheaper with the off-brand, but I liked the orange scent and the off-brand only had lemon scent)

9-pack of washcloths: $3

Spill-proof container: $4

First I folded the 9 washcloths so they would sit nicely in the container. Then I used about 1c. concentrate to 4c. water. That is more potent than the instructions say, but I like things extra anti-bacterialized (and I just got excited ;) Next time I'll follow the instructions, so not to be too wasteful. All I have to do now is throw the used ones in the laundry and repeat the process :)

I'll keep you updated and let you know if I think this is a real money-saver :)

a taste of good news

Chris got a phone call from the detective that he has been in contact with during this entire process. She said that if he hasn't heard from her at the beginning of February to call her, because he is on the list to get an interview! I guess it says something if they want an interview with you (that's what we've heard). If he does get hired, the academy will start March 1st.

So we continue to pray that God will prepare us for the road ahead, whatever that may look like...

I have no witty title for this blog, therefore it will remain title-less

I've told myself for the last couple months that I really should blog about something, even though absolutely nothing is new in our lives. Chris is still waiting on word from WPD, and I'm still not pregnant. Yay life. So in effort to find something to write, here's a re-cap of the end of 2009. *Warning: numerous pictures posted to make up for lack of written word*

Hello pretty Christmas tree!

a childhood book I grew up reading. my mom bought all of us kids a copy last year... it's a scratch-and-sniff! :)

* Christmas was great. I love family. One of my favorite gifts we gave this year was a vanity stool that Chris and I made for Tera (his sister). After searching online and not finding anything we liked, I had the crazy idea that we could just make her one. It was actually pretty fun :) The top of the stool (the cushion part) comes off so she can easily re-upholster it (beings that I'm not the greatest upholster-er there ever was :)

* If you'll remember from last year, my work (PCC) shut down from Christmas to New Years so Chris and I could lay a floor down in the waiting room. This year they shut down while we renovated bathroom #2 of 2. (In November, we did the same thing to bathroom #1). I don't have a before picture. boo me :( It was pretty yuck-o before, with a carpet floor and two defined spots/stains right in front of the toilet where, over the years, feet had made their mark. Classy, I know.

#1 before

#1 after

#2 after

* I read a couple of books over my break. "The Last Addiction" and "Firefly Lane" (I'm pretty sure I read a third one, but can't for the life of me remember what it was). I LOVE reading SO much, and definitely don't make time for it like I should... Something I'd like to get better at. I'm starting one of my favorite series right now. The Shiloh Legacy by Bodie and Brock Thoene ("tay-nee").

* Ohh! And I got a new rug (since Marley ever-so-lovingly thought we needed a fringe around the old one and put one there herself). Now that she is out of her "chew on everything I set my eyes on" stage, I finally felt brave enough to purchase a replacement, and I LOVE it. It's crazy how a little thing like a rug can pull a room together and make it feel that much more homey :)

I'm sure most of you who read this have already seen this on Facebook, but I got a new dining set also!!! I have been eyeing this set forever (okay, maybe just since spring), but STILL! I just assumed I'd never get it and I would be squeezing my 8 kids around my 4-seater table forever :) Well, I was looking at the Sunday paper, when I saw that it was on sale!! :) Well, after much thinking, and ho-humming, (and a wonderful husband that said "just get it!" :) I, err, WE decided to get it! I'm so in love with it and can't wait to make memories around it, and pass it on to my kids and grandkids (yes, I love it that much, I never one another one!). As soon as I get my "reward points" in the mail (i.e. $30 store credit), we'll be getting two more chairs to replace the bench, and just pull out the bench when we have a ton-o-guests (or kids *cough cough* :)