Lost Evening

Kyle and Quinton are Lost fans. Lucas watches it too, but he isn't into it like his dad and brother are. As for me, when it comes to Lost, I'm lost.

Last night, ABC repeated last season's finale. I watched it with the guys, but despite the translatory crawl at the bottom of the screen, I was still asking questions. I'm trying hard to get into this show, but it skips around so much that it's hard to keep up.

Anyway, tonight is the Lost season premier, and Kyle is more excited than anyone. He's even wearing his favorite shirt to school.

A Perfect Ten

Today is Lucas' 10th birthday. Please enjoy ten of my favorite pictures that cover the first ten years of our son's life.

Thursday 13: The Floor Tile Edition

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Below are 13 important lessons Q and I learned while tiling the floor in our den.

1. The job cannot begin without tile spacers. Check the shopping cart for all purchases before leaving the Lowe's parking lot.

2. Not all tiles are created equal--even if they come from the same box. While we were laying the floor, we came across one tile that was 1/4" shorter than the others. I put the piece the scrap pile, but it came in handy when we had a problem getting one of the rows to line up properly.
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3. Concrete will make your skin dryer than Phoenix in July. And no amount of buffing cream, moisturing cleanser, and aloe and lanolin-based lotion will relieve the chapping.

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4. Grout hides LOTS of mistakes.

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5. Fingernails make the best tools for scooping, scraping, and digging into tight spaces. And the longer the better.

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6. The load-out from the den was dispersed throughout my half of the garage, the entry hall, and the family room. Parking in the driveway sucks.

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7. Aside from being frighteningly loud, the tile saw is a beacon for curious neighborhood children. It must be unplugged it when not in use.

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8. Thinset mortar is hell on gold. All jewelry had to be removed--including wedding rings.

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9. Mortar can also ruin a perfectly good 5-gallon bucket.

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10. Helpers under the age of 10 will accept payment in the form of ice cream.

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11. Mortar and grout residue is very difficult to remove from corners and baseboard crevices. An old, wet toothbrush is your friend.

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12. One word: Sharpies. Lots and lots and LOTS of Sharpies. Sharpies in pockets, Sharpies on the floor, Sharpies on all work surfaces. You can never have too many Sharpies. And you still won't have one handy when you need it.

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13. This 12 hour job took us over a week and a half. Laying tile is not a good enough reason to skip work or school.

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Bonus: Sanded grout residue is the home improvement equivalent of Christmas tree needles. I'll be vaccuuming that stuff up until late summer.

Who Needs Writers...

Tired of sitcom reruns, vapid reality shows, and Monk, we turned to YouTube for entertainment. Lucas was looking for videos of world records being made or broken when he came across this gem.

At 46 seconds, it sounds like the announcer is saying: "Look Man, the sandwich is white!" We listened to it several times and never stopped laughing. Because when it comes to goofy comedy, Japanese TV never disappoints.

Fluffy Pink Searches, Part 4

--cheapest fluffy pink cushions

--fluffy pink christmas socks (I think my mother-in-law gave me some once.)

--ferris bueller's sister fiero (That was a cute car, wasn't it?)

--fluffy reindeer pink

--what's advantage of pink blog phones (They're PINK! Hello!!!! What MORE could you POSSIBLY want??????)

--cereal boxes with spaceships on it

--were can i go to find all pink furinure at (They might have some at INEA or maybe the baby girls' section of Ponnery Barn Kids.)

--pictures of trash and rat

--blog pink parlor

--"allison sugarbaker" lunch

--pink christmas trees fluffy

--feline dental clipart

--playroom wall

--all my fault (Yep!)

--myspace -jeff from the redroom -hitman- lake havasu, (You're looking for him HERE?)

--recycling styrofoam peanuts in peoria az (They'll take them at the UPS Store.)

--recipe for pink fluffy dessert

--pink fluffy dial phone

--cinemax after dark (LOT'S of bad acting there...or so I've heard.)

--cinemax blonde nose job

--ahwatukee oral surgery fox

--behr cinnamon cake

--dorchester iowa church (I've been there!)

--santa's firebird az free coupons

--herbergers stores arizona (Yeah, I wish!)

--ms. safari's pink ice cream truck article

--picture of a pink rat (Why?)

--"fresh prince of bel air" "set furniture"

--a small paragraph about how to keep friends (Are you too impatient to read anything longer?)

--fluffy pink and purple bubble chairs

--mecham fiero

--no more fluffy blog (Was it something I said?)

--val's bagels (They come from the bakery counter at Fry's.)

--fluffy pizza dough kitchenaid

--cheap purple dishes (I like finding mislisted lilac Fiesta on eBay.)

--arco stations blogg


Fluffy Pink Searches, Part 1
Fluffy Pink Searches, Part 2
Fluffy Pink Searches, Part 3

Gross...

This evening, Q was reading the label on this bottle of balsamic
vinegar.

Just like many other food products, this one had serving and use suggestions somewhere on the product packaging. And most times, these ideas are pretty good. My favorite example is oatmeal. Aside from a breakfast food, it makes great cookies!

But this recommendation--as the vinegar people call it--had us scratching our heads:



Thanks, but I'll think I'll stick to butterscotch and sprinkles.

My Album

I found this on Mark and Craig's blogs. Use the formula below to create your own band, album name, and cover art. My results are at the bottom of the post.
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1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first article title on the page is the name of your band.
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2. http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four words of the very last quote is the title of your album.
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3. http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/
The third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

Tile Installation

We started Saturday's workday with what was probably the biggest screw-up of the entire project. The tile spacers we had bought the night before were missing. I'm guessing we left the bag in the shopping cart when we loaded the car with the tile. So before any work could begin, Q had to make a quick run to Home Depot.

We spent the entire first day laying the whole, uncut tile pieces in the center of the room. We chose to install it on the diagonal to contrast the straight-laid tile in the rest of the house. The fact that this is practically an octagonal-shaped room made that easier.

I can't get Luke to put his dishes in the sink or clean his room. But when a home improvement is involved, he works just as hard as the rest of us. For this project, his job was to mix mortar. And with two buckets in use, he was able to keep the stuff coming so we never ran out.

Meanwhile, Kyle--was upstairs playing Wii and talking to his friends on the phone. But in his defense, he excels at putting his dishes away and cleaning his room.

Quinton is truly the hardest worker of anyone I know.

On Sunday, we waited until after 10:00 to start work because we didn't want to wake the neighbors with the LOUD tile saw.

We borrowed the saw from my sister and brother-in-law. I am very afraid of that thing, but Q handled it like a pro. He just had to trade in the Dr. Drew look for a pair of protective goggles.

We mass produced a bunch of Superman logos in slate-look porcelain.

Even I'm willing to get my hands dirty once in awhile...just as long as it's done in the name of residential interior beautification. I didn't even break a nail. Not one. But my hands are now chapped to within an inch of their life.

The last and the most difficult piece. One tile had to wrap around the jamb to the closet door. Q suggested doing it in two pieces, but I quickly shot that plan out of the sky.

There...problem solved.

When shopping for the listello (aka: boarder tile), I was looking for something that would match our existing tile (bottom) and the new tile (top). But I also wanted something that was interesting and different. There are lots of plain grid patterns out there. I passed on those because I have no room for monotony in my life. Anyway, think my choice was a successful one.

The end of Day 3.

Next: Grout installation. That may not happen until next weekend, however. Q has work, and the new semester starts today.

Sunday Dishes: Sugar Cubed

Jango, Mango, and Tango.

The Den: Before

We are currently in the process of installing new ceramic tile in the den. The clean-out began Friday night.

We had let the boys use this room as their place to hang out, watch TV, and play video games. But the privilege has been abused, and the room trashed. We are taking back the space, installing new tile, and maybe repainting. When it's all done, this room will house Q's weight bench and elliptical.

The empty room. The boys and I had all the furniture and the freezer moved out before Q got home from work.

This carpet really was obscene. It was even worse than the stuff in the living room, which we removed back in August.

Stainrelease, my @$$!!!!!

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My compact trash compactor. This child really is Oscar the Grouch.

The carpet was apparently manufactured less than a month before we moved in.

I wear this outfit for most of our home improvement projects. And these overalls are thrashed! I believe they sport a sample of every paint color we've ever used in this house.

They Fixed It!

A few months ago, I posted a rant about the Arkansas state outline being used on a book about Arizona. The complete hissy fit can be found here.
I decided to buy a copy of the book for Lucas. In addition to having more than a passing interest in Arizona trivia, he also enjoys "glitches". Besides, the book was only 1 cent, plus $2.49 shipping.

The book arrived, and it was a corrected copy! I would have posted this sooner, but it was a Christmas present, and Lucas stares over my shoulder while I write blog posts.

As to how the error occurred in the first place is anyone's guess. It was probably a sample cover from the publisher. I'm just surprised that it made its way to an Amazon.com sale page for all the world to see.

Closet Cleanout

I spent the better part of last weekend cleaning out our bedroom closet. And in doing so, I discovered that this chore needs to be done more often than every five years. Also, I waste far too much money at Old Navy.

This heap on the bathroom floor is my stuff. The pile got a whole lot bigger when we cleaned out Q's part of the closet. He had no fewer than a dozen pairs of fat pants left over from his Cushing's days. When he tried them on, it looked like he was auditioning for a part as the "after" guy in a weight loss commercial.

I even gave away some pink stuff. Some of these items were too stained, some no longer fit, and some were hopelssly out of style.

We now have LOTS of empty hangers. And this isn't even all of them. We distrbuted a large portion among four other closets and the laundry room.

The finished product. I'm anxious to see how long it will stay like this.

This is now the least offensive carpet in the entire house. Funny since it hasn't been vaccuumed in 8 years!

As a reward, I treated myself to a new pair of bedside lamps from the clearance aisle at Hobby Lobby. Those paper-shaded IKEA lamps had to go.

Fluffy Pink Searches, Part 3

--oakridge boys cookie recipe

--pink wooden flooring

--a fluffy cartoon dinosaur

--ex wife photo sharing

--baby anthropologie abc carpet and home nursery

--pink 80's purse

--four pairs of wrangler jeans with a flat ol' battery

--apache junction trailer trash myspace

--mcmansion foreclosure

--homer laughlin fluffy rose

--run flat tires goodyear wranglers mesa az (if they can run in Mesa, they can run anywhere)

--starbucks pink & blue jumbo mugs

--painting master bedroom

--gilbert barbie picture

--"dishwasher list"

--old gemco photo

--thrifty's ice cream pink and yellow (I remember Thrifty ice cream! Good stuff.)

--pink gifts for friends

--shamrock doorbell

--circle k double charging debit card (shame on them!)

--where can i buy a pink fluffy throw

--val collections blog

--blog super pink

--real fluffy pink wallpaper (that would sure be a bitch to dust)

--song "you don't have to be a star baby to be in my show"

--painting diamonds on bedroom wall (here's a tip: Lots, and lots, and LOTS of masking tape!)

--pink blog christmas

--fall colored dishes

--pink wooden floor

--old ottoman pictures

--harlequin dishes purple

--wood floor blogspot

--fluffy girth cover

--cushing's syndrome documentary

--christmas vacation walmart scene eddie (see below)

--farrell's ice cream parlour, phoenix (I miss that place)

--pink christmas wrapping paper

--christmas vacation sublte items (Three words: the Walmart scene)

--pink socking videos

--need picture of clark griswold in attic (Why?)

--trimwork after wood floor install (quarter-round works well)

--raison for foreclosure

--pink fluffy christmas tree

--bannister sanding

--fluffy pink tree names

--fluffy pink hot water bottle

--where can i buy a laundry basket that seperates lights, darks and towels? (I saw something like that at Linens 'n' Things)

--mission style stair rails

--the 80s skipper barbie doll doctor room

Fluffy Pink Searches, Part 1
Fluffy Pink Searches, Part 2

Twisted

For Christmas, I got Quinton one of those KitchenAid Stand Mixers. No, I didn't buy the pink one. It would have looked nice with the pineapple-colored walls and verdigris countertop, but I wasn't about to emasculate my husband that way. I can be a good wife sometimes, but such moments are few and far between.

I did have a very difficult choosing between the Empire Red and Cobalt Blue mixer, however. I ended up picking the red one...a decision that I still second guess from time to time.

Anyway, ever since he got his new toy, Q has been having a good time trying new recipes with it. He's used the mixer to make peanut butter cookies, oatmeal cookies, and pizza dough. Yes, my husband reads cookbooks the way most people read tabloid magazines and trashy novels.

And nobody's complaining. Tonight, he decided to make pretzels...because the ones at the mall food court simply aren't good enough for his family.



They turned out really good!!!! Crispy on the bottom and soft in the middle. Q also brushed them down a mixture of honey and melted butter. They don't put that kind of love into a mall pretzel...I don't think.
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The only difficulty Q had was tying the pretzel knot just right. When they went in the oven, they looked like Christmas wreaths. But as the dough expanded, the holes closed in and they came out looking like bagels.

Resolutions

I know I should have made my New Year's resolutions a few days ago. But frankly, I didn't give the subject too much thought until now. That's probably because I hadn't been feeling particularly inspired (see yesterday's post). But mostly, don't put much stock in the whole idea of making radical life changes just because the local realtor sends us a new calendar magnet to hang on the side of the refrigerator. These "changes" tend to fall by the wayside after the first week or two, anyway.
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That's why my resolutions--such as they are--will consist of goals that I actually can and want to keep. These include: .

--I will open myself up to music from the current century. I've already got a good start with songs by Maroon 5, No Doubt, and Amy Winehouse. Britney will not be allowed within 100 miles of my iPod, however. I get enough of her skeevy, overrated puss whenever I tune into any information source...be it TV, radio, Internet, newspaper, or Lucas.

--I will eat less chocolate. This should be surprisingly easy because Fry's stopped stocking Lindor's peanut butter-filled truffles. If I want them bad enough, I'll have to drive to Wal-Mart. No thank you...

--I will shop at more clearance racks.

--I will throw a loud, ear-piercing conniption fit. The boys will laugh their @$$e$ off, Jango will go into hiding, and I will eventually get my way.

--I will keep at least one vase of fresh flowers on display at all times. I will not wait for Q to buy them for me. That is futile. Instead I will get them myself, and display them in one of the 5+ Fiesta vases I bought back when the Betty Crocker Catalog was going out of business.

--I will only buy and wear clothes that make my waist look small and my boobs look big.

--I will redecorate at least one room in the house.

--I will use this blog as a forum to complain about bad grammer, bad drivers, and bad TV.

--I will encourage Quinton in his desire to purchase more Fiesta bakeware.

--I will come up with at least 10 more nicknames for Jango.

--I will use a napkin to soak the pepperoni grease off my pizza.

--I will edit each and every blog entry no fewer than five times. Check back often. The post you read this morning will most likely have an additional paragraph by the afternoon.

Post-Holiday Doldrums

The holidays are over.

The decorations have been dismantled, boxed up, and stored away.

The sale racks have been picked over. The gift cards have been redeemed. And the recycling truck has hauled away all of empty present boxes.

The New Year was rung in with all the pomp and fanfare we could muster during a windstorm.

Now, it's time for life to return to normal.


For me, the weeks immediately following Christmas and New Years are the equivalent of coming down from a soda and candy-fueled sugar high. The more sugar you eat, the faster you fall and the harder you crash.

For the last month, our weekends consisted of shopping in Scottsdale, and an afternoon at a theme park. We attended a cocktail party, a block party, took the boys to the movies, and got reacquainted with old friends. Q and I went dishing with old friends, met new friends, and I acquired enough Fiesta to fill my trunk.

Yes, there was definitely a lot of sugar this holiday season. It's all over now. And I'm crashing hard.

Q went back to work on Wednesday. (Yay! Now I don't have to watch Monk reruns all day!!!) Now, my days are spent doing laundry, looking for undervalued dishes on eBay, and thinking about what to fix for lunch. I know I'll be missing these times once the spring semester starts. But for now, they're little more than one big yawn.

The boys will return to school on Monday. In the meantime, they're dealing with boredom, too. Kyle's best friend is in Ohio with his dad, and many of the other neighborhood kids are sick. He's been passing the time watching screamer videos on YouTube, while Lucas makes collages of world flags, Siamese cats, and old school game consoles with MS Paint.