Monday, December 31, 2007

I put the Rad in Radio

I was just on the radio!
The gal was asking what games we played over Christmas, so naturally, I had to call in to tout Cineplexity, created by Hudson's own Sean Weitner, JonMichael Rasmus, and John Sams. We loved the game. Mom bought it for us for Christmas and we spent hours playing it. Basically, the idea is that you get two clues, for instance "New York City" and "Romance." The first player to come up with a satisfactory film to fit both clues wins the point.
(McKinney girls, this one is right up your alley.)
Last night, Mandi and I played "speed round," where we laid on the floor and flipped two cards over at a time and shouted out movie titles as fast as we could.
I just thought the Weitners that read my blog would like to know that I've been advertising for Sean's game--even on the radio!
This game is definitely worth picking up because everybody watches movies, and it can be a lot more challenging than I anticipated. We had a blast with it.

A puzzle for Kelli

Why is it that the fire alarm always starts beeping its "low battery warning" in the middle of the night?
Have you ever heard the warning before 11pm? Ever?

Sunday, December 30, 2007

Peanut Butter

In honor of the Tired Boy vs Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich, Rich, Mandi and I made our own peanut butter video.

Friday, December 28, 2007

Ice Sculptures

This was the view from our back door this morning at 1am.
I guess it's a good thing that the storm door got stuck / frozen open, otherwise Pedro would be a very sad little dog.
Saturday's project: ice removal in a vain attempt to save our roof.
Please pray for us on this--the weight of the ice and the water backup can not be a good thing, and we aren't eager to replace the roof this summer.
Here's praying for some sun to aid in the removal of these pretty ice sculptures!

Don't you just wanna put your tongue on them?
A little?





Thursday, December 27, 2007

What's Next?

On Saturday morning, before my parents arrived, Richard went out to plow the driveway only to discover that the garage door opener had bit the big one. Kaput. Finit. Nada.
So...he spent the better part of Saturday shopping for a new opener and then installing it with our dads. If you'll remember, Saturday is the day that went from 25 degrees to 4 degrees in less than two hours. They were all in the garage for that.
Fun.
Anyhow, they finally got it working around 8 that night.
The next morning, we all got up to get ready to go to the farm, and when Richard went to let Pedro out, he discovered that the roof was leaking between the deck door and the storm door. We're talking inches of ice, coupled with icicles that could have been used as weapons.
Not a happy moment for the Desvousges family.
Then, the (only) toilet stopped up completely. Apparently, it had been about 12 hours in the making, but I was completely unaware.
We got the back door open, the toilet in working order and when everybody was nearly ready to leave the house, I went down to change a load of laundry before we left only to find the clothes I had left in the dryer were wet. Again. For the third time in a week.
I thought, "Great. I can't tell Richard. This would be the icing on the cake. This would be the day he leaves for cigarettes and never comes back. And he doesn't even smoke."
And then something amazing happened. I fixed the dryer all by myself.
I pushed START.

Monday, December 24, 2007

Christmas at the Farm

We went out to "the Farm" yesterday to celebrate Christmas with my paternal Grandmother (Shirley) and Great-Grandmother (Gram Helga).
We brought pea soup and dined on soup, sandwiches, cinnamon bread, and pickles. Then we opened presents, and Baby Desvousges received its first Christmas present! It's going straight to the college fund! (MIT, of course.)
As you know, "The Grandmas" are very important to me. It was a nice day, celebrating with them, and letting them rub my pregnant belly. Gram thinks it's a girl.
Here are some pics from the day.













Friday, December 21, 2007

Truffles

I don't like truffles. Never have.
Sorry.
A co-worker gave me a box of truffles this morning for Christmas.
She totally just busted me giving them away.
I. am. so. embarrassed.

Gravity

I can feel gravity

today.
I can feel the weight of my own body pressing toward the center of the Earth.

I. am. tired.
I slept better than I have in a long time last night, yet I am more tired than ever today. I am so thankful that it's the end of the week, and I don't have to come back to work until December 27th.
I am sure the way I feel has to do with my pregnancy, but I also think I'm just plain tired.
I'm not trying to be a downer (pun), really. I'm just looking forward to my break.
A co-worker brought me a bottle of wine this morning as a Christmas gift.

Cruel. And unusual.

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Grazing

Today is our annual holiday pot-luck / grazing party.
Somebody brought homemade caramels.
I took all of them.



What?

Pedro

Katie R., thanks for asking about Pedro!!
Pedro is a West Highland White Terrier (a Westie).
They are very good with children, but also VERY active. Pedro has always been pretty laid back, though, and not much like some of the other Westies I have met. Even when he was a puppy and we went (to ROCHESTER) to pick him out, he was more calm and subdued than his brothers and sisters who were barking and crawling all over him.
He very rarely barks in the house, and sees the cat as his own personal plaything. The only really bad thing about Westies is how FREAKING smart they are. Pedro can get into or out of ANYTHING and is so stubborn that you can actually see him making the decision to disobey me. As you can see in the photo, we took obedience classes (this was at the costume competition), and Pedro learned quickly what I was teaching him, but often chooses not to obey.
Westies are a lot like Scottie dogs in looks, though smaller, and I think nicer. I don't think I've ever actually met a nice Scottie. Pedro topped out at about 14lbs, and really doesn't stand much taller than our cat.
My favorite thing about Pedro? Besides how sweet he is, is that he can't jump! I love that! I get to decide if he can be on the bed with us, or where he goes. His little legs just aren't made for jumping.
Let me know if you have more questions!
If you decide to get a Westie, please promise me something: Promise that you will name him something appropriate! I wish we had named him Murdoc or Gromit, or something more Celtic in nature, since they are from the Highlands of Scotland! Although, with his laid back attitude, Pedro just seemed to fit, man.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

The Most Beautiful

In all the stress and running of the Christmas Season, I sometimes have trouble remembering to CELEBRATE the birth of our savior.
I love this song because it so often applies to my daily attitude (even in non-Christmas seasons).
Take a second to read it.

I Heard the Bells
I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Till ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.”

-Henry W. Longfellow, 1864

This Christmas Hymn was written during the Civil War, though seems so pertinent to our lives today, especially the last two stanzas. No matter what: God is not dead, nor does he sleep! I find this very reassuring and encouraging.
An updated version of the song is on the MercyMe Christmas Album. "The Christmas Sessions." I highly recommend it. Click here to go listen to the song. I think the link will work.
Confession: I secretly listen to this song all year.
Merry Christmas, friends.

Thanks, Carla!

For the best cookie recipe EVER!
Really. They took longer to bake than they took to mix up.
And they're delicious.
And strangely satisfying.
Next time? I will press chocolate chips into the warm cookies as they come out of the oven.
Next project: Cinnamon Streams.







See the grease spots on the paper? Yeah, I just couldn't help myself. Please excuse the messy kitchen. : )
Note to self: the cookies hardly change shape, if at all. Eat the ugly ones barefoot in the kitchen at 3am, and send the pretty ones to McClain in Little Rock for Christmas.

Monday, December 17, 2007

When Extroverts Fall in Love

Boy Choir

Can I get something off my chest?
I have never been a huge fan of an all-boy choir. Truth be told, I find them just a little creepy. The music is beautiful, no doubt, and relaxing and transfixing. I don't intrinsically dislike a song by a boy choir...I'm just not about to pop in my Boy Choir Greatest Hits CD and rock out in the car, if you get my drift.
During the Christmas season, there are a lot of boy choir songs on the radio. I don't mind them, really. But. Do you know what ruins the peaceful, beautiful melody of any Christmas carol sung by a choir of boys? Three words:
Michael W. Smith.
Independently of one another, I don't mind either a boy choir or Michael W., but put them together and I want to cut off my ears and throw them at ol' Smitty. Sometimes I think it would be worth it to never be able to wear earrings again if MWS would stop. collaborating. with. children's. choirs.
I can't be alone in this.
You know how I feel about the Little Drummer Boy. I guess we can just add this to the list of things that make me a Scrooge.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Lesser Women

With trepidation, I set out tonight to make brownies from scratch. (I guess I felt like I hadn't worked hard enough this weekeend...) My dad pointed out that lesser women have managed.
I haven't tried them yet, but they came out looking suspiciously like a cake.

We shall see.

Friday, December 14, 2007

Christmas Meme

Feel free to share your own answers! You can answer your favorites or all of them!
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper. Whatever I steal from my mom's house.
2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial so we don't have to dispose of it!
3. When do you put up the tree? Eh. When I have the energy. This year it was the weekend after Thanksgiving.
4.When do you take the tree down? When Richard makes me.
5.Do you like egg nog? You know, I really don't.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? I got My Little Pony pajamas one year. I really loved those.
7.Do you have a nativity scene? Not yet... (hint, hint).
8.Hardest person to buy for? My parents. They never "need" anything. It's not about needs people!
9. Easiest person to buy for? Myself. Haha. That is usually Brenda. Not so much this year, though!
10.Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail. But the rule is that if you send me one, I'll send you one. Period.
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I'm really not sure...
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? The Family Stone. Or Elf.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Probably not as often as I have recycled wedding gifts.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? I really like those red and green mint taffy things. I look forward to those every year.
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Colored for the last two years.
17. Favorite Christmas song? I Heard the Bells, followed at a close second by Go Tell it on the Mountain.
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? We do Christmas Eve at the Plumm's and Christmas day at our house. Perfect.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? No. I won't even try.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? When I was little we used to do one on Christmas Eve and the rest the next morning, but now we open presents with Richard's fam on Christmas Eve and with my fam on Christmas day. Like I said--perfect.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Trying to go somewhere simple like the grocery store is 1000 times harder than it should be.
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Angels, everywhere.
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Corned beef and cabbage. Oh wait...wrong holiday.
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? I had a hard time thinking of things this year!

Ruined

Last night when I got home, I was so exhausted that I crashed by 5:30.
I was sound asleep at 7:30 when Richard came in and asked if I wanted dinner. I wasn't too concerned since The Office was another rerun anyway. No reason to get up, if you asked me.
"Not really," I said.
"Are you going to sleep through?" he asked.
"I'm thinking about it," I said.
"Erin! You're ruining Grey's Anatomy night!"

Yeesh. I didn't know my girlfriend was so touchy these days.

We ate chicken pot pies in bed and watched the third season of LOST on the laptop, while the cat and dog slept at our feet. I don't think I could have asked for a better night. Grey's can wait on tevo until next week.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Dill Pickle

I'm going to substitute the words "dill pickle" for a popular phrase in my post today.

Today I get to dill pickle laminate 85 dill pickle copies of some dill pickle form that needs to go out dill pickle TODAY to our dill pickle customers.
I'm really dill pickle thrilled about the dill pickle opportunity to use my dill pickle office skills for something so dill pickle valuable and dill pickle important, especially since the dill pickle dill pickles who asked me to do it can't ever seem to make a dill pickle plan ahead of dill pickle time. This is my dill pickle time to dill pickle shine. Me and the dill pickle hand crank laminator.
I dill pickle love every-dill pickle-thing today.
Abso-dill pickle-loutely

Later that day:
Upon further thought and in reference to Mandi's comment, I think I now understand the pull that guys tend to feel toward Metallica.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Guys

What's the deal with guys turning the "heat" on full blast in the car before the engine is warm?
What's the deal with jumping right out of bed in the morning? And falling right asleep at night?
What's the deal with the "farmer blow?" (Sorry, Kristi)
What's the deal with the secret stash (i.e. entire Rubbermaid tote) of electrical cords?
What's the deal with Metallica?
What's the deal with Cap'n Crunch?
What's the deal with belly button lint? I mean, really.



On my iPod at this moment:
"Under Pressure" David Bowie & Freddie Mercury. (heart)

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Back with a Bang

I've been wrestling with what to blog about for my return to bloggerville.

The VP called this morning to ask me to find three very high-ranking members of the division and ask them to call him within 5 minutes. I usually don't get too nervous about talking to these men, but for some reason today, I was just a titch nervous. I was flattered that the VP called me in his own assistant's absence and I didn't want to let him down. Five minutes isn't very long when you're looking for people.
I went into one of their offices (didn't knock), said, "The VP asked you to--"
I immediately interrupted myself by tripping on my clog and hitting the floor.
I'm not freaking kidding. It was like a bad SNL skit.
I'm fine, baby is fine. I caught myself without falling really hard.
I'm just totally mortified.

Heeeere's your blog.

Friday, December 07, 2007

Weight

I've been gaining a lot of weight lately.
Word weight.
I binge and binge and binge on words because I love them. I eat them up. I love to see how I can put them together and take them apart. I love to see how other people, authors, journalists and some bloggers do it, too.
I read a lot. I read a lot online and I read a lot of books. I read for entertainment and for edification.
I love words. It's a part of my soul. A part of my spiritual make-up. A gift.
I didn't realize, however how much words weigh. How many calories I'm taking in with the words I devour on a regular basis.
They're going straight to my hips. I'm hippy enough, ifyouknowwhatImean.
I binge and binge and now it's time to purge.
I've had enough of looking this way, feeling weighed down and responsible for the slow-motion car wreck that you just can't look away from.
It's like a girl with her thong underwear sticking out from the back of her pants. Somebody you don't like with food in their teeth. A bad toupee. A slow-motion slide onto a snowdrift.
You just can't look away.
I'm looking away now.
It's time for the fast.
I need to lose some weight--and quickly.
It's 40 days in the desert for me and Haiku Lady.
Or...however long it takes for me to figure out what God wants for me and my word-loving spirit. This is, after all, all for Him, right? Am I doing that? Am I doing this (or anything for Him?) Hence, the fast.




I will, however be updating my baby blog since that's for my baby in the end.

Thursday, December 06, 2007

Office "Holiday" Party

I had my very first work party last night.
Richard was my date for the evening and was a perfect gentleman. We looked a bit like a geriatric couple outside, however, because I was wearing new shoes that were very slippery on the ice and holding on to my limping husband's arm. True love if ever there was.
We took this photo when we got home to commemorate the fact that we survived the occasion.
It really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.
Best part of the night?
A mashed potato bar.
Really!
And, of course, getting to take this hottie as my date:

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Dear Popular Cosmetics Store,

I love, love, LOVE spending my lunch hour browsing your aisles. I know many of your saleswomen find this amusing based on the amount of make up I wear--or I should say, don't wear. I can't help it. I love looking. I buy nail polish, typically in the same color every time, I buy make up, use it once or twice and then lose or break it. In short, I've wasted a lot of money inside your four very well lit walls, but what Richard doesn't know won't hurt him, right?!
Thank you for the coupons in the mail recently. My favorite makeup brand on sale for $9.99--what a deal for a 3-piece set! And with a $3.50 Off coupon for any purchase over $10. I couldn't believe my luck! Not to mention the free nail polish with my Level 1 rewards certificate! Score me!
So, I brought my coupons to work with me today looking forward to my trip all morning.
Imagine my disappointment when $9.99 is not the same thing as $10 (even with 8% tax!), therefore, I had to spend a little more money on something else to get the deal.
No big deal. The Holiday nail polish set was on sale for $4.50. Sweet. I sorta wanted that anyway.
Uh-oh! The $10 total purchase could not include the 3-piece make up set. Drat! I should have read the fine print. Silly me!
Well, I need hair color so Nene can do my hair this weekend. I guess I can spend $5 more.
$18 later, I am still pretty excited about the purchases I probably won't use.
Looking forward to more coupons!
Sincerely Suckered,
Erin

p.s. I feel really, REALLY bad about knocking over that Ralph Lauren cologne set on my way to the register. I'm sorry it exploded all over the floor. I'm sorry it's all over my shoes right now.

Sunday, December 02, 2007

The Untold Story of the Little Red Hen: A Story of Love, Lust and Compromise


The Little Red Hen had big plans for her Sunday. She wanted to dress the children, put up the Christmas tree and bake cookies.
When she rose very early, she said to Richard the Rooster, "Who will dress the children?"
"Will you have sex with me?" said the Rooster.
"Not right now," said the Little Red Hen, "I have too much to do."
"Then, not I," said the Rooster, "I have homework to do."
The Little Red Hen was able to dress two of the children, but the third was forced to spend the day hiding her face in her nakedness.







Later that day, the Little Red Hen said,
"Who will decorate the Christmas tree?"
"Will you have sex with me?" said Richard the Rooster.
"Not now," said the Little Red Hen, "I have too much to do."
"Then, not I," said the Rooster, "I have to play Madden."





So the Little Red Hen decorated the Christmas tree all by herself.





Then it came time to make the cookies.
"Who will make the cookies?" said the Little Red Hen.
"Will you have sex with me?" said the Rooster.
"Not now, I'm almost done with my chores," said the Little Red Hen.
"Then not I," said the Rooster. "I'm tired of asking."
"Fine!" said the Little Red Hen, and spent an hour clucking to herself in the kitchen, only to turn around to discover that someone had eaten a cookie!






The Little Red Hen was beside herself in anger.
"Who ate this cookie?" she screeched.

"Not I," said Pedro."
"Not I," said Lexi.
"Not I," hacked Old Man Bailey.
"Not I," said Richard the rooster, wiping chocolate chips from his mouth.






"It was you!" said the Little Red Hen.


***
Hours later, after a long talk about cookies and sex, it was decided between the Rooster and the Hen that never the tween shall meet.
And the next time the Little Red Hen made cookies, she also made cookies ifyaknowwhatimean.

Friday, November 30, 2007

Do NOT collect $200

I'm having one of those days where I doubt my tenacity, courage and stamina in this to-each-his-own race to the finish. Does the line, "I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me," ever make you shake your head in frustration?
WE are not supposed to see life this way. WE are supposed to be filled with the Holy Spirit and thereby shine His light to the world. Do you think there is a "Get out of jail FREE" card for Grace?
Do you think God ever says, "You know what? You did your best. This really is an impossible situation. You don't have to keep going. Here. Here's a new handbag."
Is there a line, a limit? Do we ever reach a point in the "race," where we've done enough and can retire?
Don't answer that.
But really. What does God think? Does He think I'm doing a good job? Does He think I'm doing my best? Is He proud of me?
Last night, Dad read to me (paraphrased), "All we have to do is proclaim the salvation of Jesus Christ and the rest will follow. If we do that, the listener will never be the same, regardless of their choice."
I believe this.
But what about me?
It all comes down to one thing: Who am I in Christ?
How the [bleep] do I know?
Really? Who AM I in Christ? Do we ever really know?
Do you know?
Do you know who you are in Christ?
While I'm at it, do any of YOU know who I am in Christ? Let me know if you have some ideas. I'm at a loss.

Thursday, November 29, 2007

SURVIVOR - Wisconsin Style

Due to the popularity of the Survivor shows, Wisconsin is planning to do its own, entitled "Survivor - Wisconsin Style"
The contestants will start in Milwaukee, travel up to Sheboygan and on to Manitowoc and Green Bay. Then they will head over to Wausau and up to Rhinelander and Minocqua. From there they will proceed up to Ashland and Superior. Then back down through Hayward, Rice Lake, Balsam Lake, Chetek, over to Eau Claire and all the way down to Madison and back over to Milwaukee.
Each contestant will be driving a pink Volvo with Minnesota license plates and a large bumper sticker that reads: Brett Favre is Gay. Hillary in 2008. Deer hunting is murder. Go Vikings.
The first one who makes it back to Milwaukee alive wins.

Resolution

I'm making a New Year's Resolution.
I'm not sure if it's 11 months late or one month early...
Doesn't matter.
My goal?
To be on time for work at 90% or better between now and March 1, 2008.
By my count, there are 63 work days between now and then.
90% of 63 is ~57 days.
"On time" means at or before 8:00am every day.
There is nothing that keeps me more accountable than my blog, so here goes. So far I'm 1 for 1. We're off to a good start.

This could be a great experiment.
Hypothesis:
The ENFP, when put in a situation where she is forced to go against the grain of her P-ness, will more than likely fail miserably. When kept accountable, however, by herself and her blog-friends, has a much higher chance of success.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

I thought of something!


Last night after dinner (mashed potatoes and corn--a side dish bonanza!), Richard and I enjoyed some snuggle time on the couch--something that is getting tougher by the day due to my rapidly growing body.
Later, as we were going to bed I said, "Thanks for the cuddle time tonight. I liked it."
He snarkily said, "Yeah, sometimes I just like cuddling and having it not have to go anywhere."

Thanks

Thank you, friends, for not pointing out to me yesterday that my bad day might have been made worse by hormones.
This fact occurred to me at about 10pm last night.
Today is going better.

Hopefully I'll have another blog for you later today. At the moment, I'm at a loss.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Oh, NO.

I stayed up til 1am last night playing with my iPod. I added a bunch of new cd's, downloaded songs from when I was in highschool, and created a bunch of new playlists. What fun!
I wish I could tell you it was worth it. I originally intended to tell you all that I think I might be turning into an introvert, but that was before.
Before my entire day went to SHIT.
It all started at 1am last night when I set my alarm for 6:45pm instead of am.
Now, I wish I could tell you that was true.
Instead, it's just what I'm telling my co-workers. In actuality, I thought my boss was going to be out of town early this morning, so I hit the snooze...for an hour.
A word to the wise: If you're toing to play with fire, you'd better damn well make sure that your boss IS OUT OF TOWN.
Imagine my horror when his car was in his spot this morning when I got here, after sitting in traffic for longer than I should have at that late hour, drove through McDonald's where they screwed up my order, and drove around for 15 minutes looking for a parking spot.
Needless to say, the bossman wasn't too happy with me by the time I walked in the door at NINE. THIRTY., only to discover / remember that I have to leave at 11:30 to work at a United Way phone bank until 6pm tonight.
Did I have the heart to tell the bossman that I'm leaving at 11:30 for the rest of the day? Nope.
Sure hope his flights go ok, because he won't be able to get ahold of me.
I hate getting in "trouble." I would ask you to pray for the rest of my day, but I'm keenly aware that everything that has gone wrong today is simply due to my own carelessness, selfishness, laziness, and pridefulness.
On the bright side (the only bright side), I have several new playlists to listen to this morning while I race around trying to get stuff done.
Palylists:
-Memories; songs that take me to a specific time and place (this list will grow over time)
-Songs to teach baby (songs I intend to sing with my baby in the car--yes, AC/DC made the list)
-Lullaby (songs to learn to sing to baby in the rocking chair)
-Christmas (only my select favorites--Nick & Jessica didn't make the cut)
-Envelope Stuffing (fun stuff to listen to while I'm doing a crappy boring job at work)
-P&W (again, I'm trying to be very selective on this one--no MWS, ifyouknowwhatImean)

Monday, November 26, 2007

Still Swankful

What a wonderful weekend!
I haven't seen my brother in almost two years. It was SO great to spend some time with him, goofing around and just being ourselves. Isn't it a great feeling remembering how much you LIKE someone? : )
Here are some pics from our weekend in Lincoln.


McClain arriving on Thursday evening. Can you tell I'm bawling?


Big Mac, hangin out after a LONG drive.
Easton. What a doll. For more pics of this guy, check out my other post.

Miranda, stop taking my picture!
Family photo. We'd all been working really hard to clean out Grandma's house. Please excuse the dirty outfits and sweaty faces.







Evan, Ashley and McClain. The Arkansas Crew.














When did McClain get so tall?

Sorry, Dad. Terrible photo of you. Cute one of Mickey D, though. : )

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Swanksgiving

Ever since Carla's post, we don't say "thanks" at our house. We say "swanks."
This year I am swankful for Swanksgiving.
I am swankful for the long weekend.
I am swankful for the family time.
I am even swankful for the road trip we're taking today at 1pm.
I am swankful to get away from work for a little while.
I am swankful that the weather should be good for our drive down.
I am especially swankful that my brother will be there this year (!!!).
I am swankful that Carla posted about Swanks so that I won't get all teary-eyed when I'm writing about what I'm swankful for, since I'm really a lot more swankful than is easy to express in blogdom, which, I am also very swankful for.

God's blessings on your Swanksgiving, everyone. I hope you all enjoy my favorite holiday.

What's your number one Swanks this year?

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Eeee-ee-heeee-hee-eeeewwww!













And you wonder why I won't get in the river.
You can't see your feet? This guy's gonna take advantage of the murky water and EAT. YOU. Not just your cute little poodle. YOU.

In this photo released by World Wildlife Fund-National Geographic, two Thai fishermen show a 293-kilogram (646-pound) giant catfish they caught from the Mekong River in Chiang Khong district of Chiang Rai province, northern Thailand in mid-May, 2005. Six proposed dams on the Mekong River could displace up to 75, 000 villagers and harm hundreds of species like the endangered giant catfish, conservationists warned Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2007. (AP Photo/World Wildlife Fund-National Geographic, Suthep Kritsanavarin, File)

Bah! I keep looking at it and gagging. I'm fighting the urge to hold my feet off the ground.
Boogity. Ew! I don't want anybody (including God's creatures) to lose their homes, but. Oh, man. I'm seriously rattled by this photo.

What they didn't publish in the press release is that they opened this guy up to find none other than Amelia Earhart. Whole.

That's My Sister!

Hockey and Basketball Deliver CSB Athletes of the Week
11/20/2007
The College of Saint Benedict Athletic department has named their athletes of the week.

First-year goaltender Amanda Plumm (Lake Elmo, Minn/Lake Elmo) stopped 41 St. Mary’s shots en route to a shutout and a 1-0 win on Saturday. So far Plumm has tallied 90 stops on the season.

First-year wing Laura Canton (Pine Island, Minn./Pine Island) scored 17 points and grabbed four rebounds in her first collegiate basketball game, a 90-52 win over Fontbonne University.


YEAH, NOONIE! Good work. You're making your mark at college already! I couldn't be more proud.

Pass the Buck

Yesterday I was furious with somebody who blamed me for his mistake, thereby embarassing me (and himself) in front of our boss.
Today I did it to somebody else without thinking about it. I don't think I embarassed anyone with my buck pass or caused any problems, but it still wasn't the most honest thing I've done today.
Ugh.
My baby is going to turn out to be evil, I just know it. Buck Passers spawn evil children.

Monday, November 19, 2007

Only 2 Months Late...

Naomi, get over here and get this insane quilt I made for your baby!



I hope it doesn't make her go cross-eyed. If it does, you can give it to my baby to get even.



p.s. Check out the high waters. Hott.