Labor Day Weekend Recap!

In memory of our two year anniversary doing this:

...I didn't drive at all on Labor Day!  Whew!  We managed to 'keep 4 on the floor', 'the shiny side up', and 'black on black' as my family tells us everytime we talk to them and they find out we're traveling on the road in a vehicle.

On to happier (and more current) topics of the weekend though!  The theme of our weekend seemed to be this:

Yes, that's hot, sweaty, dirty, and working for food.  No, that does not mean we hung out with a creepy old bum that liked to hang ten alot!

J and I went to the good ol' state of Okie-homa to visit my grandpa.  Amazingly enough, I always find myself wannin' tuh tawlk lack this...after being there for more than a day.  And!  Should you ever get lost on the way to Oklahoma and in a tired stooper catch yourself asking this question at the gas station,  'Are we still in Kansas or did we pass into Oklahoma yet?'  Just look around you for the answer.

• 
  
  Ginormous bugs crawling out of the woodwork outside?  Check!
• 
  
  110% humidity?  Check!
• 
  
  Count the number of vehicles around you...are at least 12 of them trucks?  Check!
• 
  
  Of those 12 trucks, do the 12 drivers have a combined total of 1.5 sets of full teeth?  Check!

Sorry my friend, we're not in Kansas anymore!

So we were there to help Grandpa do some work outside around his house so that he didn't kill himself...which he has been known to come close to doing before (falling off a ladder, with a chainsaw in hand, and shattering his ankle!).  We spent Saturday and Sunday running a chainsaw and hauling the mess away.  After Day 1 we had this burn pile created:

                                              

(notice the rusty old barrel)

After Day 2, our pile looked like this:

                                     

(notice rusty old barrel is no longer visible)

Okay, so the pics don't do our hard work justice in my opinion.  That pile is about 12 feet high though!  Here are a few more pics of us working hard:

                                      

Justin on the ladder that he precariously perched himself on while running the chainsaw...eeek!

That's Grandpa parking 'Ol' Blue'!

This is the after view...I forgot to take before's but as you can see, all those brown areas on the ground were covered in trees!

Moving along!  In turn for all this hard work we ate the following (and my apologies to Kay and Grandpa if I forgot some of the deliciousness we had!):   *disclaimer:  All being homemade of course!

Buttermilk biscuits, buttermilk pancakes, eggs, omelets, cooked spiced peaches and apples, banana bread, t-bones, salad, homemade jellies, hamsteaks, bacon, garden tomatoes, Senor Salsa's...mmm, rotel and cheese dip, homemade salsa, blueberry sponge cake, ice cream, margaritas, beer, juice, coffee...I'm sure I am forgetting a few...but good LORD!  We packed in the homemade YUM day after day!  I'm sure I've gained 10 pounds...I'm too scared to look!  We also took home okra, pickles, jams, and banana loaves with us.  It's not a trip to Grandpa's unless you leave with deliciousness as well!

Have you ever had one of those Oh.My.God embarassing moments?  You know, like when you accidentally walked in on two co-workers having an affair on the conference room table?  Or when you got busted snooping for Oreo's your brother-in-law hid from you?  Or that very terrible time you could have swore it was just gonna be a fart?  (Not like I'd know about any of these!)

(snicker, snicker)  Well now!  Heeeeeere's a story for ya!  Let me paint you a picture.  It's Saturday morning, J is long done with his shower, wide awake, and sipping coffee with Grandpa in the living room.  I on the other hand am peeling my eyes open, crawling out of bed, sleep showering, and getting ready to throw on some ragged work clothes whennnn...what's this?  Oh shit!  Noooooo waaaaayyy, I couldn't have!  No underwear!?!?!  You.have.got.tobe.kidding.me.  I packed not one sole pair of undies!  Now, I'm not one for being shy nor am I one for a little commando action if need be...but we were getting ready to go get all hot and sweaty...and that's just wrong!  So what do I do?  Go scavenging of course!  I immediately think of looking in J's bag...'Crap!  He doesn't even OWN a pair of tighty whiteys...let alone would have packed them for the weekend if he did.  And I can't wear boxers...all I have for work clothes is spandex yoga capri pants!'  My throat starts to tighten, my stomach is filling with rocks, I'm starting to sweat, panic is setting in.  I spy the dresser in the corner of the bedroom.  'Hmmm...wonder if it is in use or not?'  I open the first drawer, it's my grandpa's hankies.  'This could be promising.'  I open the second drawer, socks and boxers.  'Warmer.'  Low and behold, laying there in drawer no. 3...tighty whiteys!  (Now, here is where I tell my audience to stop reading if you are actually my Grandpa...whom my dumbass gave this blog address to while there!...or keep reading, know this is a confession, and NEVER talk about it again!)  I pick up what looks like a perfectly pressed pair of brilliant white Hanes...size 32!  'Sweet!  They might fit me!'  (I stress this last thought to convey to you that my grandpa is a VERY clean man and I have no qualms or doubts in my mind that perhaps he hasn't even worn these at all...right???...they look that new!)  I'm standing there, desperate, naked, and in a hurry by now.  Without having to make my mind process what I'm about to do, I quickly snatch up the undies, shove my feet into them, and go to yank 'em up as quickly as possible!  Urrrrrrrrrr-ch!  Screeching halt!  'Shit!  My fat thighs and those little chicken leg size 32 holes are not compatible!'  Right.then.and.there. J opens the door!  Talk about a deer in headlights!

J: What the hell are you doing?

Me: Get out of here!  Shut the door!  Go!

J: What the hell are you wearing?

Me: Sigh!  What's it look like!

J:  Why don't you wear a pair of my boxers? (By now I have crammed them up on me, the waistband is under my boobs, and my fat thighs are bulging out the bottoms...pretty picture to paint...I know!)

Me: No, I can't becuase I don't have my work jeans.  Now, go back out that door and pretend this never happened!!!

J:  What are you going to do with them when you're done?!?!

Me:  I haven't got that far yet!  LEAVE!

Needless to say, the tighty whiteys came home with us.  Sorry about that grandpa.

So, I also bought some of these over the weekend:

                                     

I also have confirmation that I must have rolled around in this as well:

                                        

Leaves of 3, leave 'em be!  It looks like Poison Ivy gave me a hickey on my neck!  Bleck!

And that was my fabulous Labor Day Weekend!  How was yours?

But what does it all mean? (said in British tones)

(Started this post in February and never posted it. Hence the reason it talks about shopping for a wedding dress. And for those wondering, the dress I ended up with is 10 times more amazing and also a thanks to the help of my big sis!)





These past two weeks I have been pondering the history and meaning of phrases. Not because I'm some huge English geek (sorry mom!) but because they just struck me as really odd and funny.



For instance:



As I am driving in the car with my sister and girlfriend, Rozanne, coming back from trying on a wedding dress. (A wedding dress that I might have bought had it not been for the saving graces and honesty of these two wonderful ladies) (A dress that I might have purchased before my sister said, 'Oh my god Kristy! You have a 'back butt'!')(A wedding dress that also, on that particular wet, cold, and snowy day made me feel rather 'sloth'ish'...especially since I then realized that I could have a 'back butt') So on our long, slow, wet, cold, snowy, blustery drive back home this conversation ensued:



Me: I am so sick of this weather! I have cabin fever so bad!


Sister: No you don't.


Me: Huh?


Sister: Cabin fever (matter-of-factly), you don't have that.


Me: Ohhh right, because it really doesn't exist and is just some stupid phrase someone made up when they were cooped up in their house over the winter. Well I don't care where it came from, I have it and am sick of it!


Sister: Actually, it came from way back when, when people lived in small hand built shacks (i.e.- cabins) with usually a wood burning stove or fireplace as the main source of heat. The cabin was sealed up tight to keep the cold air out and there was no place for the carbon monoxide to escape. Thus ensued sickness, fever, etc. from the people cooped up inside.


Me: uh-hmmmmm


Sister: Sooooo, quite literally you cannot have cabin fever because you are not suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning, you don't live in a cabin, and you have no ill symptoms such as fever.


Me: touche (I am notorious for throwing this word into conversation. Yet to this day, I have NO idea how to use it properly in a sentence!)



Now, did I actually believe her at the time? Ehh, her 'story' seemed logical enough but this is my sister we're talking about. The same person that when asked, 'Hey, who sings this song?' could look at you with the straightest of faces, act like she was really digging deep for the answer, ponder it for just the right amount of time and then say, 'Nirvana' as matter-of-factly as if she was telling me that the sky is blue. Only to later find out that the song was actually sang by Queen. She's good at what she does, I'm tellin' ya!



Fast forward two days later:



I'm sitting at my cubicle, at my new job, chit chatting with the IT guy at my desk. Why? you might wonder? Because I have entered a new IT ticket for every day I have shown up to work this week. On this particular Friday (my most favorite day of the week) no one was in the office and I was rather the Chatty Cathy. So I tested his knowledge and asked him where he thought cabin fever came from. His story almost 100% reiterated my sisters. ERRGIN-SCHMIRGIN'!!! I'll give her just this one!



Well, this conversation somehow lead into talk about meanings of words and such, which ensued the following:



IT guy: Oh yea, and 'cake eaters'...uggghhh



Me: (Weird, confused look on my face.)



IT guy: You know, a cake eater?!?!



Me: (Wheels are starting to turn and it's not good. I quickly think, surely he's not 'politely' trying to call me fat is he? I don't look like I eat cake all the time! Okay, I know I've put a few on, but it's WINTER! What a JERK!)



IT guy: You know, like the kids that went to...(dramatic pause)...priiii-vate schooool.



Me: (gasp! He IS calling me a cake eater!!!)

Happy Friday Randomness

(Sorry the pics are so crappy and small!)

Well, so this is just a random blog to show off my 'art' project last night that took all of 3 minutes to put together. Our cute little rental (for now) needs a LOT of TLC*. We have been working our heiney's off on trying to make it our 'home' and little by little it is working. When I first created this blog, I thought to myself, 'Oh, I will instantly become a better decorator because I have a blog and all these other lovely people post lovely pics of their homes looking so lovely!' I have come to grips with reality (to an extent) and am opening up to you now: 'My name is K and I am not a decorator' (In unison, 'Hiiiiiii, Kaaaaaayyyy'). BUT, I can at least give myself credit for this attempt at decorating on a budget!
- The red shelf and twig bird house were from the Salvation Army for a total of $5.00.
- The garland and towel were from DG for a total of $2.50.
- The orange potpourri balls came out of a crystal bowl I have full of potpourri (FREE!).
- TOTAL: $7.50 TIME: 3 minutes

Now I don't care if it's no Martha Stewart, but that ain't bad for being frugal!

*Disclaimer: Just in case you noticed the line in the wall behind my decor.

#73

The number 73 has never really had any profound meaning to me. (Hmmm...I can't remember my brother's football number from high school, but now that I think about it...maybe it was 73!?!?) Anywho, there was #25 because that was my assigned 'number' in school growing up until stupid Randy Sparks left in the sixth grade and so then I got bumped to 24...but I'm not bitter! Then there was 13 because that was my basketball number in grade school...our team sucked...all four years!!! A few other numbers in my life have come and gone over the years as well. As of late, I'm a big fan of number 74 because it combines 07 (July) and 04 (the 4th) which is our wedding anniversary. That's about as close to 73 as I've came to really thinking it's a lucky number for me until...

...I got the mail yesterday! My name was chosen as a finalist to win a brand new 2010 Ford Mustang! This promo/contest has been going on since before we moved here in early June and I have driven by the Mustang a ton of times while on display at various participating sponsors. Well, one day, while at the local office supply store, I finally saw a registration box so I filled out the little slip of paper and stuck it in a huge, already crammed full, box of other hopefuls and really thought nothing of it. And low and behold, there I was holding this piece of paper letting me know that I was winner winner, chicken dinner! Now, I realize most of you might be thinking to yourselves, (or re-reading this blog) 'Did she say she won the car? I thought she said that she was a finalist!?!?' No typos, I said finalist. However, I already consider myself a winner because stuff like this NEVER happens to me! Not even as a finalist!

So, this Friday evening, starting at 7:00 pm I will have a 1 and 100 chance of being the proud new owner of 'Ol' Red'. I already named him just in case! Click here to see my name listed as lucky number 73! How EXCITING! Wish me luck! I'll keep ya'll posted!

Love it!

In a recent article I read here, I found the following words about my (I like to pretend they only cater to me like this!) fabulous Amazon.com:

'According to BusinessWeek, the 2009 Customer Service Champs — ranked by reader surveys and J.D. Power research — include Amazon.com at No. 1...'

'To start, customers want product value that exceeds the price they’re paying. Next, they want a level of service that rises above their expectations. As proof, two of the top 15 Customer Service Champs are Amazon.com and Zappos.com, both known for discount prices and exceptional service.'

Needless to say, 'Kudos to you again Amazon.com!'

Containers Rock!

So as I was running errands yesterday, I realized there were a few things that were putting me in an exceptionally good mood. First, the fact that I was running errands meant that I was not working. The sun popped out and it was a perfect day for the pool...but I was of course....running errands. Sooooo...I stopped in at my local tan shop and got:

1) A Mystic Tan! This is the first thing in a container that I am loving. I took before and after pictures of my leg...and then realized you all WILL NEVER have the pleasure of seeing those photos. Am I tanner? Of course! I even taught my niece to call me a Tahitian Goddess! Are my legs slimmer, trimmer, buffer, and longer? Uh, that would be no!

After the Mystic Tan, I realized I needed gas and figured I'd get a drink to quench my thirst. I stopped at the nearest gas station, which happened to be a QT (Quiktrip). Low and behold, they had their summer fountain drink sale going on!

Let me back up on that for a minute. For starters, when QT started this promo, they were .49 and it ROCKED! My mom and I would find ourselves there like every day in the summer. It was almost as if our cars knew the route on their own. We just got in and said, 'Go, go, gadget fountain drink!' Well, the next summer rolled around and we got all excited again for the sale and they jacked the price up to .59! Still cheap, still doable...a little annoying though. Come summer 3...by now mom had moved to Colorado where QT's don't exist (so sad!) and I was in Kansas City, but it's okay because now they were .69!!! It was an outrage! (However, kudos to you, Marketing Team of QT! Your evil ploy of reeling them in worked fabulously!) I was so over QT and their 'cheap' fountain drinks, because by then it's not a good deal anymore. But on this fabulous sunny day, I walked in and saw the signs hanging from the drink station, like an angel from the sky!

2) Containers I'm loving - .49 fountain drinks again at QT!!!! Woo hoo!

And lastly...

3) I am loving Container Gardening! Okay, well, I'm not necessarily doing one but my niece is! My mom got my sister and I started on it, as she has a whole mess of them at her house (hopefully they do better than her first attempt...bonsai tomato gardening!). So my sister got one started with my niece and every day after pre-school, Madi comes home and runs to the patio to see if her tomato plant needs water yet. It's too cute. Now, when doing container gardening, be sure that you don't substitute the word container for a synonym like pot. My mom's first email to me on this subject, at my federal job none the less, was something along the lines of '...I'm so excited to try this pot gardening! I'm not sure what all is involved in it, but it sounds wonderful! Maybe I'll go buy a pot tonight!'.......hmmmmmm.....

(This is not my niece's, but it looks close enough! I got lazy!)

Funny Conversations

As I sit here at the computer desk of my sister's house (where I am living until we find a house to buy and relocate), in my PJ's, sipping my morning coffee, editing pictures and posting, my sis and I hear this at the top of the stairs:

(My 3 yr. old niece, Madi, was supposed to go change into her swimsuit so she could help wash the car)

Dad: Wha...huh...Ma...ohhhhh...Madi, what are you DOING?
Dad: Why are you wiping with you clothes?
Dad: You're not supposed to that. The whole reason I had you change was to NOT get your outfit dirty!
Dad: Now it's all dirty.
Madi: But you can wash it! Right Daddy?
Dad: My god! Who's daughter are you!

Oh the joy of having kids!

Wanna See My Wedding Dress?

Well, since we are getting married on the 4th of July...I thought I might let you have a look at my beautiful dress!

Wait for it! Wait for it! Waaaaiiit forrrrr it!

Are you ready?

Ya wanna see it, don't you?

NOT! This is soooo not my wedding dress, but I just had to try it on! What bride would not be compelled that is getting married on the 4th of July to try this dress on, when it's her size, and then walk out of the dressing room amongst about 30 strangers, tear up, and scream, 'Oh my god! I found it! This is the one! This is the dress! I love it!' I mean come on! I just had too!

Yeah, it's a real wedding dress....$650.00!!!! Can you believe it?!?!?

So Long, Farewell...

Today marks the very last day at my still new job. I was there for almost 6 months. It was bittersweet to say the least. I am so not a crier when it comes to things like this and thought for sure I'd be 'cool'....uh, yeah, nooooot! Maybe it's all this wedding planning, who knows, but I was such a sap over this! So in honor of my old job and all the wonderful peeps there:

Top 5 Reasons I Am Glad To No Longer Have My Job:
(in no random order)
1. Cockroaches as big as my hand in the lower level basement...which happens to be the same level as the cafeteria. I hadn't seen one in a long time but was fortunate to have one grace it's presence in front of me this morning. I think he was coming out to say goodbye to me. It also just so happened to be the biggest one I have seen since working there.

2. Panels! As an intern, I had to give a huge report both written and orally on what I had learned every quarter. I only did one in my short time there but could only surmise that they wouldn't get easier. Things like that don't get easier for procrastinators!

3. The purpose of my quitting...to be able to move to the country with my fiance, get married, be with family, start a family, plant a garden, brew some beer, make mosaics, and take long walks while the sun is setting...so long as we don't get chased by a rabid skunk (that's a separate post in and of itself!).

4. I no longer have to hear one of my co-workers call me, (in a kind of high pitched, feminine voice) 'Krisssthhh- eeeeee Yama-gu-chi!' So we have the same first name....

Kristy Yamaguchi.............................................................. Me

-Japanese/Filipino .........................................-Pasty White
-Dancing with the Stars Champ ...................-No one wants to see me shake this money maker
-IN the Olympics ...........................................-Gets drunk & pretends to commentate the Olympics
-Born in 1971 ..................................................-Born in 1980
-Married to a hockey player ........................-Engaged to an Electronics Technician

Need I say more on this!

5. The mile long walk from my car to my cube, in the rain, after having blow-dried AND straightened my hair, while wearing very PAINFULLY cute shoes, and remembering I left my umbrella at my cube!

Egg-static Post!

In honor of Easter, this post is gonna get a bit eggy!

First, click here to take The Easter Egg Personality Test

My results are below and I must say they are quite dead on!

Your Easter Egg Says You Are Uplifting
You are whimsical, spontaneous, and fun loving.You connect well with people, but nature is your true love.Changing locations and scenery is important to your creativity.You are inspired by the surroundings around you

Next, I was going to post pictures of beautifully decorated eggs that people created...I assumed there would be a niche for this kind of talent! However, after searching on the Internet, I only found these two: (Apparently the new 'cool' thing is decorating eASTER eGGS as in e-eggs...as in eggs you create virtually online...as in WTF?!?! What happened to good ol' fashioned boiled eggs, food coloring, and a white wax crayon???)

For those of you who know me well, I heart pirates! I dress up as one every year on Halloween and ALWAYS celebrate September 19th 'with me grog and mates'!!! It's not like some weird fetish, it's more just amusing to me. So in honor of pirates I found the picture of 'Sherwin'...which reminds me of a live version I have of 'If I Had a Million Dollars' by Bare Naked Ladies where he says, 'It's Uncle Erwin'. I wonder if Uncle Erwin is a pirate friend of Sherwin???......

The second egg won an egg decorating contest and the artist is from Goddard, KS which is where my mom grew up...so in honor of cool people from Goddard...(and a purple background)...cheers to these two eggs!

Moving Along:

The History of the Easter Egg: I'll spare you the boring details and reinterpret, through my eyes, what I found in researching this. Basically, the egg symbolized rebirth, new life, etc. for both people 'things' and like seasons coming and going.....etc. I get this, it makes sense and all...but all I could think about was, 'My eggs, as in the ones I carry inside me, somehow turned into some weird decorating ritual on Easter with chicken eggs instead of 'me' eggs....guh-rossssss!' However, on a positive note...I also learned about Mr. Faberge and his eggs (as in animal ones)! And then it hit me, 'Duh! I was going about my search for 'decorated' eggs all wrong!'

And then I found these, which are what I was looking for all along:

This one for some reason seems to be hiding some sexual innuendo to me! His 'watering can' is exposed and watering her 'flower' and he's all, 'Hey there sweet mama! Like my watering can?' and she's all coy and is like, 'Oh my, I didn't even notice you watering my flowers (but really she did) with your watering can (that she did really notice!).' Wait...I just looked at it again...it really could just be Jack and Jill...doh!

It's purple...say no more.

A beautifully decorated Ostrich egg.

I liked this one because it made think of an egg my niece, Madison, would like and pick out.

O.M.G! Those are real pressed flowers! My sister in law's mom makes BEAUTIFUL art out of pressed flowers. One piece even has pressed strawberries in it I think!

I'm on a b&w kick with photos of my 'peeps' (get it!), so this one sparked my imagination too!

Are you so totally egged out yet? Are you so egged out that you're breaking out with a bad case of 'egg'-zema? Or your just really 'eggs'-ited now? Orrr....you're not even reading this because you've 'egg'-nored the bottom half of my post your so sick of it? Ha! I'm 'eggs'-austed even trying this anymore! I 'crack' myself up!

Okay, okay...Last but not least...in honor of Easter Eggs...one my favorite breakfast meals...Eggs Benedict:

And by that I mean I tried to make the Benedict Sauce like 4 different times now to no avail. And we usually don't have English Muffins...just plain ol' bread. Nor do we have cute little rounds of Canadian Bacon that fit perfectly on the round muffins we don't have. And asparagus...for breakfast???...really???...and if so, why only two??? However, I am a PRO at making a mean poached egg in a pan of water! Soooo, I usually make up a 'Hole in One' and pretend it's Eggs Benedict. (Cut a hole in a piece of bread...we use a Mason Jar...butter the bread lightly on both sides...toast side one on a griddle...flip...break egg into bread hole...sprinkle cheese on bread...toast side 2 while cooking egg to over medium (my personal preference)...eat!!!...the bread soaks up the egg yolk as you eat and the cheese is all melted-ey...mmmm!) I would post a pic but then I'd have to re-space my whole post for like the 18th time...and when I googled it for an image, all I found was a picture of a turtle with a golf ball in it's ass...WTF? That's a whole different 'Hole in One', if ya know what I mean!

HOPE EVERYONE HAS A SAFE AND MERRY EASTER!!!

What I Can't Put Down Sunday...

…other than CAFFEINE!!!

I am back on a reading kick! Okay, okay…and I don’t mean my addiction to People Magazine and the all the ‘trashy Hollywood gossip’ as I call it. Did you hear that Rihanna took Chris back AND that there is talk of Jon and Kate splitting? Well, not too long ago, I finished ‘Sex Lives of Cannibals’ by J. Maarten Troost. My brother got the book for me for Christmas, and upon first glance of the title, I speculated at what was bound in the pages following. I thought it a bit awkward for my brother of all people to give me a book about the sex lives of ANYONE really, let alone cannibals. AND, talk about awkward when you bring the book to your in-laws house to read. However, it is a hilarious book that I highly recommend for some entertaining, yet historically accurate reading about one man's stay in a tiny remote nation in the South Pacific. (I will disclose no more in hopes to peak your curiosity and make you click on the link above to go to Amazon right now!)

Well, oddly enough, the next (and current) book I'm reading is called 'Between a Rock and a Hard Place' by Aron Ralston. Why odd you ask? Well, I just happened to pick this up at the last minute from the library one night when I remembered a co-worker telling me about it. I would say it's a safe bet that my brother has already read this book, in fact, even safer to bet he owns it! So, what are the chances of me first reading a book he purchased for me and then randomly picking up this one that I know he has read too!?!?

Anywho, this book is seriously distracting me from the rest of the world! I can't put it down and when I'm not reading it, I can't stop thinking about it. It's a true story written by the guy that was out canyoneering when he fell off a boulder and got his hand smashed between the canyon wall and the boulder and ended up having to amputate his own arm with a dull multi-tool knife to save himself. I know that sounds a bit gory, but it's an intriguing book! Plus, I'm training for a half-marathon (week 3) in June (again...but this time I am seeing a chiropractor!) and you wanna talk about encouraging. There's something about this book that makes me want to keep my training up and pushes me to succeed. Hmmm...not to mention, it makes me really cold at night when I read it because he reminisces through out the book about all his mountain hiking adventures in the snow. shiver. Anywho, I've decided I'm just going to start reading books about people's adventurous lives and tales to keep me motivated and excited about what I am training for in real life. Plus, this website is the adventures of J&K and currently I have no 'adventures' that are blog-worthy...yet. (Just re-read that part...DISCLAIMER: No, I'm not pregnant!)

Well, I'm off to go read some more! Yessss!

Peaking at Panera

Woo hoo! I get every other Friday off where I work, and this Friday off couldn't have come on a better day! It is GORGEOUS outside! I have definitely been bitten by the Spring Bug! Well, while out running errands today, I decided to stop into Panera for a light salad (it's Friday...no meat). To my dismay, the patio was chalk full of people that didn't deserve to be sitting on the patio more than me, but I was able to find a sunny table for two near a window. I plopped myself down and proceed to munch my salad.

This is when it occurred to me that Panera is actually a pretty happenin' place during lunchtime...AND is great for people watching and eavesdropping!

Ensuing 'Peaks' at Panera today:

1. Mom, Grandma, and bratty kids are eating near me. 6 year old Lukas decides to be a good little boy and clean the table off for mom and grandma who are so engrossed in talking about home decor that they hardly notice his presence. Lukas and his little sister proceed to throw the food scraps, plates, metal silverware, and newborn baby's 'binky' into the trashcan seemingly unnoticed. They then proceed to turn the trashcan area into some sort of game to see who can stick their heads into the trash the furthest to see inside. Guh-rooooosssss! I contemplate informing the women of what is happening and then realize that they don't deserve to be notified. What, even remotely decent parent, would allow their children to play, quite literally, IN trash cans at restaurants???? I turn my attention away immediately!

2. I look outside at the beautiful day, imagining the birds chirping that I really should be hearing but can't because some Prairie Village Fraternity version of 'Desperate Housewives' hover over all the tables while hugging each other and kissing cheeks. GAG! That's when I notice an old, OLD man walking across the parking lot to come eat. He has on black pants that are too long and about 3 sizes too big. His brown checkered suit coat is also hanging off him. His solid, bright, red tie hangs off his neck and is about 7" too long. His hair is unkempt and he his pilfering through his wallet as if he is counting his money. As he approaches nearer, I realize, there is no money in his wallet at all. I can't decide if he is for real or a bum. Odd I think to myself, but in this day in age and what, with the economy and all..who knows!

3. How depressing I think! I turn away from the old man. I think to myself that if he is a bum, I don't want to make eye contact with him and have him come begging me for money. I turn my glance away and notice the 18 year old looking girl walking up from her brand new Mercedes. She's wearing an ungodly hideous outfit! She has the 'skinny' pants on (I don't care who you are or how much they cost you...I will NEVER warm up to the idea of these!), Mary Kate & Ashley sunglasses, purple suede boots, and a skin tight white t-shirt that is extra long with NO BRA on! GAG(...again...it was a rough lunch, let me tell ya!) She walks up to an old man, seemingly her father, and as they walk in together he attempts to put his arm around her for an awkwardly posed hug. She rolls her eyes at him, shrugs away, and checks her cell. Typical I suppose nowadays! What are our teens coming to?!?!

Well, those were my ventures at Panera today. Maybe tomorrow I will post about my eavesdropping while using the computer at the library! (shudder!) I'm off to go play in the sun!

What Wallpaper (aka Devil Paper) has in Common With the Following Items:

1. Drinking: It started out as a nice relaxing way to start the process of stripping paper and winding down from a day's worth of hard work. However, when I find myself craving a beer just telling people about the Devil Paper...I start to wonder if it's turning into a problem!

2. Turrets: Yesterday, I found it easier to shout a string of 3 or 4 cuss words every time something bad happened to make the pain go away. I was batting about 200 words per hour!

3. Cuss Word Alphabet: The devil paper led me to create a new game...the name really says it all...if not, read #2.

4. The new nickname 'Sparky': Metal scraper, Wall outlet, any questions! My good ol' 'Reliable' scraper somehow missed the paper and went flying into the side of the outlet. It got bent and melted, a chunk of it is missing now, and sparks flew all over the extra super dry wallpaper on the floor. Thank God for wooden handles!

5. Thoughts of burning the house down as a plausible alternative: See #4

6. Blood: My knuckles are rubbed raw! Between scraping them on the walls on accident, sticking them in buckets of hot soapy water,and washing them 80 times more than normal...I now have 'knubbles'!

7. The Devil: self explanatory!

What Drinking and Wallpaper Have in Common...

Update on the wallpaper post. Jerry's halo has since been tilted and his wings broken. After much research and a multitude of conversations with Ace Hardware employees in the paint department of 3 different Ace's, we realized that texturing was only covering up a problem with a problem.

This is where I just want to take a quick moment to let everyone know that Ace Hardware Rocks! We went to 3 different ones, and each person we talked to in the paint department was an old man who was a retired professional painter. They had us convinced by the end of the conversation that we could do this and to not give up hope. I'm sure that Vic, our favorite Ace guy, was taken aback a bit by us. I can only assume he had never heard a young couple in their 20's say to him, 'Thanks a lot Vic! You have talked me out of 'accidentally' burning down our house now!' And he was the first one to then jokingly point us in the direction of the Lighter Fluid!

Well, we have now decided to leave that wallpaper as is and prime and paint over it. Why you might ask? Because this entire last week we have done nothing but strip wallpaper. As in ONE wall in one room. It all started last Sunday when we decided to crack open a few brews while stripping paper. It seemed to be much more enjoyable and we even cranked up some tunes on the radio and played 'Country Singer Alphabet'. Monday night rolled around and as I continued to attempt to get the devil paper off, I realized that a beer sounded good. My body was starting to equate stripping wallpaper to beer! Once again, I cracked one open and life was better. the paper still came of in small pieces, but I at least wasn't cursing it. Tuesday, I was in the mood for Mexican! Justin made homemade burritos and so I went down the street and bought Sangria! Next thing you know, I was drinking Sangria and.....stripping wallpaper. So here we are, a week later: a bottle of sangria and a case of beer, and ONE small wall in ONE small room is wallpaper-less. It is also chalk full of dents and gouges where the paper took of everything, including the backing to the sheet rock. Uggh! Needless to say, we are priming the rest and painting over the wallpaper. I don't think my body could take any more stripping of wallpaper...nor my liver!

Death to the Wallpaper!

Justin and I are in the process of fixing up his house. And by fixing up, one might think major renovations, construction, interior decorating.....WRONG! Let me paint you a picture of what I mean by 'fixing up'. The prior owner was a little, old, single lady who apparently had a lustful relationship with wallpaper. (I shutter just typing that dreaded word!). I went to bed last night and my thumb was tingling from pulling so much paper. This morning, I felt like my fingers were bleeding. It was easier for me to use my nails opposed to a scraper and I am paying for it now.

Oh wait, I'm supposed to be 'painting' a picture yet...

We have a foyer with country blue and white striped wallpaper. A hall with squares that have geese and hearts wallpaper. A living room with an indescribable border that come to find out had an even more indescribable border underneath. Each room (3 of them) has wallpaper on the bottom half, then a border in the middle and then a different wallpaper up top. These consist of stripes on the bottom, gaudy flowers on the border and then some variation usually of paisley pattern up top. GAG! (I just threw up a little in my mouth!)

Thank goodness we had some added help this weekend! Justin's parents came up for the weekend to help us out. Thank you, thank you! AND, even more fun, we got to have a real sit down dinner at the dining room table with them. They are only the second ones to have done this at the house. (We don't 'entertain' for dinner normally and we JUST NOW no longer have roommates either...I guess you could say we are finally becoming 'big kids'...or dare I use the 'g' word...'Grown-ups'!!!)

We have painters in and out of the house for the last couple of days giving us bids on painting the whole inside of the house...literally, EVERY room! The last one, an ornery old man named Jerry suggested that instead of stripping paper why not spray on a texture to the wall and then paint over that. When those words came out of Jerry's mouth, I looked over at him with my bleeding fingers, nails ruined, and old gluey paper stuck to my butt and then it happened! Angels appeared out of nowhere! They flew down with a halo in their hands and placed it upon Jerry's head. Trumpets played in the background and then a few more angels fluttered down singing a high pitched, 'Ahhhhhhh!!!'. God LOVES Jerry!

So, as this wallpaper (shudder) peeling party proceeds, and the sheet rock is getting more and more gouged because the lady didn't size the walls, and our hands bleed a bit more, we are seriously contemplating Jerry's bid.

And that sums up our weekend!