Friday, October 31, 2008

Friday Fill-Ins #96

1. My favorite food seasoning is ___Cinnamon___.

2. ___The sound of Jango not crying at 4:30 in the morning___ is music to my ears.

3. Lucky is ___a great brand of jeans___.

4. ____Children's' interests____ is something I take very seriously.

5. Many people ___vehemently disagree with my radical opinions___.

6. ___Green spray-in hair dye for Kyle's costume___ was the last thing I bought at the store.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to ___passing out glow sticks to the trick or treaters___. Tomorrow my plans include ___going to the gym, going to Michael's or Hobby Lobby, maybe go looking for deals on boys jeans, and GETTING KYLE A HAIRCUT!!!!!___. And Sunday, I want to ___finish a space planning project and sketch some tables___!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

State Fair Pics

Last weekend, we went to the Arizona State Fair. I am only now getting around to posting pictures because it's been a very busy week. Also, I'm trying to get used to a new camera.

This beef jerky won first place in the Jerky and Dried Beef division. Well, they must have not dried enough because it's covered in mold! Ironically, the second place entry looked perfectly edible.

This entire meal is made out of rocks. Click on the picture to see the detail.

Nutrition at its finest!

Lucas' favorite car at the demolition derby was the Ghostbusters station wagon.

Fire! The fuel line must have ruptured on one of the cars because after they were pried apart, there was a huge puddle of gas on the ground.

Times Have Changed


Last night, I got one of these headaches that causes my vision to become very spotty and distorted. In fact, I was in a chat room with Papa, Craig, and a bunch of other dish collectors when it hit. I could barely read my screen and had to log off early.
,
I used to get these all the time when I was a teenager. The pain was so bad that I would end up vomiting. My parents were always having to leave work to pick me up at school.
.
Even though these headaches have never gone away completely, their frequency has has been greatly reduced. Now, I only get them once every few years or so.
.
My last such episode occurred more than four years ago. I was driving the car when my vision started going blurry. I managed to pull into a McDonald's parking lot, and call Q to come pick me up.

Last night's headache occurred in the safety of home. I just took some Tylenol PM and went to bed.

While I laid there, I began thinking about the headaches I used to get as a teenager. My mom took me to the doctor and I was given medication, which I kept with me at all times.

That's right! I walked around high school with a bottle of prescription pain meds in my purse.

That move wouldn't fly today. I must have been really good about being discreet because I didn't get in trouble for it.

In fact, we got away with a lot of crap when we were kids...much of which would be grounds for expulsion today:

--In the late 80s, Corona Beer t-shirts were all the rage. Everybody had one, and we wore them to school.

--Whenever birthdays were celebrated, we were allowed to bring in homemade cupcakes to share with the class. Now, all treats have to be store-bought.

--Q grew up in rural Montana. He talks about how kids would drive to school in trucks equipped with gun racks. Some even wore utility knives on their belts.

--We called it like we saw it. Winter Break was known as Christmas Vacation.

--Instead of "fall festival", we got to have real, honest-to-goodness Halloween parties. We even got to wear our costumes to school.

--Nobody was ever censured for eating a peanut butter sandwich in the cafeteria.

--We didn't need a food handler's license to hold a bake sale.
.
--Pet birds, fish, snakes, frogs, and hamsters were commonly brought in for show-and-tell.
.
--We played tag or tackle football on the playground
.
--We also jumped off the swings. (Lucas tells me this is a HUGE no-no)

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Seventeen Year Itch?


Happy Anniversary, Quinton.

Friday, October 24, 2008

Friday Fill-Ins #95

1. Right now, I'm feeling ___relaxed, but awake (it's 4 AM and I couldn't sleep) ____.

2. ___Done with school___ is where I want to be.

3. How does one ____have a child and then dump them off at a day care for 8+ hours at a time____? (childrens' interests are an issue I'm very militant about.)

4. ____QUINTON___ keeps me on track.

5. Please don't ____leave open cereal boxes out on the kitchen counter____.

6. ____Jango snuggling up to me, gazing up with her big blue eyes, and purring loudly____ fills me with joy.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to __going to the gym...and working on a paper on Indian and Islamic design___. Tomorrow my plans include ___going to the gym...working on that paper...taking the family to the state fair___. And Sunday, I want to ___celebrate our anniversary...finish the paper...and take the kids shopping for Halloween stuff___!

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Going Down...


Gas prices finally dropped under $3 at our neighborhood station. Of course, this happened just a few hours after I filled up at $3.05 per gallon.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Friday Fill-Ins #94

1. Follow the ___path less traveled___.

2. ___A map and a list of antique stores in the area___ is something I always take with me on vacation.

3. To achieve your goals, you must ___be patient and be prepared to make sacrifices____.

4. ___I got carded the other night___ is something I'd like you to know about me.

5. I have a ___desire to put up the Christmas tree NOW so I can properly display my Fiesta ornaments___.

6. ___A plastic storage bin with a 10 year old child in it___ floats. (But it also tips over very easily).

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to ___finishing a very difficult space planning project, going to the gym and enjoying a few cocktails___. Tomorrow my plans include ___going to the gym and going shopping for some new fall clothes___ and Sunday, I want to __sleep late, finish the laundry, complete a few sketches, and watch Desperate Housewives___!

Try your own Fill-Ins here.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Birthday Dinner

This evening, we took Q out for a belated birthday dinner. He had a business dinner to attend on Monday and I had to take Lucas to drum lessons on Tuesday. So we celebrated tonight.

We went to PF Chang's for dinner. The weather was perfect--we drove to the restaurant with the top down. The boys were very well behaved. There was not one fight the entire time.

The orange peel chicken and mu shu pork were very tasty. We even saved room for a dessert. The four of us split The Great Wall of Chocolate Cake. Any calories I burnt off earlier at the gym were gained back tenfold.
.
But it was totally worth it. It was a such an enjoyable evening. A nice, relaxing meal, and enjoyable conversation with my family.
.
Oh, but that's not the best part.
.
Tonight--for the first time in quite a few years...
.
I GOT CARDED!!!!!!

Monday, October 13, 2008

The Big 3-9


Happy Birthday, Quinton!

Sunday, October 12, 2008

"You're BOTH Wrong!"

Today, the boys got into a fight because Kyle had eaten almost all the toaster strudel. Lucas had only gotten to eat two pastries out of the two boxes I had bought. There come six in a box. Kyle had eaten the other ten.

Lucas got mad and started yelling and name calling. Kyle shook his head, shrugged shoulders with an air of misguided teenage superiority, and whined, "what did I do?"

That's when the fists began flying.

I snapped that they were both wrong.

Kyle was wrong for his lack of consideration by being a strudel hoarder.

Lucas was wrong for assuming that I had bought the last two boxes of toaster strudel on the planet.

I have mediated this argument before. The food in question usually varies from Pop Tarts to cereal to popsicles. But the end result is always the same: I buy more.

When will they ever learn?!??!?!??

Friday, October 10, 2008

Friday Fill-Ins #93

1. One of the best concerts/plays/movies I ever saw that I really didn't think I'd like was ___Grease 2. I didn't care for the original so I though I'd hate the sequel. It turned out to be one of my favorite movies___.

2. ___Cookie Dough Dessert Sundae___ is a recipe I recently made (or meal I recently ordered) that was delicious!

3. It's time for ___a new administration. Let's get this election over with already___!

4. ___A frozen Coke Thirstbuster from Circle K___ is quite refreshing.

5. If I never hear the word ___"adrenal tumor"___ again, it'll be too soon.

6. To one side of the curving road was a ___mountain___, and on the other was ___another mountain___.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to ___watching Poltergeist with Q and the boys (I ordered the DVD on Amazon Marketplace for a buck)__. Tomorrow my plans include __going to the gym, finishing up some sketches for Monday's Rendering class__ and Sunday, I want to __go somewhere. Maybe Hobby Lobby, IKEA, or the antique mall__!

Thursday, October 09, 2008

Giant Pumpkins

Since it's getting close to Halloween, I was flipping through my collection of Guinness World Record Books, I came accross some HUGE pumpkins, here's proof of the gradual growth of them...
GWR issue:
2005- 1337 LBS.
2006- 1446 LBS.
2007- 1469 LBS.
2008- 1502 LBS.
2009- 1689 LBS.
-Post By Lucas.

*Every year, the issue of the NEXT year comes out (E.G. 2005 comes out in 2004, 2006 comes out in 2005 ETC.




Monday, October 06, 2008

'Desperate Housewives' Funny

I borrowed this from Mark's blog. Mrs. McClusky is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters.

Edie's creepy psycho husband had better pay heed.

Sunday, October 05, 2008

Kitchy Kitchens

Since Christopher assured me that I won't get in trouble and Mark really wanted to see the Con-Tact paper kitchen, I scanned a few pictures from one of the decorating books I bought at Goodwill yesterday.
The walls, cabinet and drawer fronts, and even the canisters are all covered in Con-Tact paper.


This dishwasher is covered in the same wallpaper as the rest of the kitchen.


I LOVE this banquette-style breakfast nook. This space is begging to be outfitted with some Shamrock Fiesta.
I wouldn't change a thing about this kitchen...except for maybe the appliances.

From Complete Home Decorating

GOOB

Earlier this week, Q informed me that he needed new shoes for work and the gym. So I took a break from school projects and we went to Shoe Pavillion. The boys came along on the possibility that the outing would include a restaurant lunch. And it did.

As we pulled into the parking lot, a guy was putting a "Shoe Pavillion/Store Closing/30-50% off Everything" sign out near the road.

On one hand, I'm sorry to see the store close. This location had been open less than a year. But on the other hand, NEW SHOES FOR EVERYONE!!!!!

Except for me. This store was devoid of anything in a ladies' size 9M. I did find one pair of Birkenstocks, but they were light blue (a color I don't wear often) and the bottoms of the straps cut into the tops of my feet. Even at $14, I had to pass.

Saturday, October 04, 2008

Goodwill Goodies

Every other Saturday, Goodwill offers 50% off everything in their central Arizona stores. Today, we visited three stores in Phoenix.

I came home with four decorating books from the '70s and '80s. Many of the rooms are hideously dated, some are boring, but a lot of them are pretty cool. Such as one where Con-Tact paper is used to cover almost every surface in a kitchen. I'd like to post pictures, but I don't want to violate any copyright laws.

My real prize for the day was this Coventry Castilian tid bit tray. It will look great with my Ironstone collection. Problem is, my Ironstone/Granada shelves are pretty full, but for $3, I'll find room.


Friday, October 03, 2008

Good News/Not-So-Good News

Earlier this week, Q took Kyle to the orthodontist for his montly check-up. Apparently, he has done so well with his braces, that they are being removed next month--almost one year ahead of schedule!!!!!!!!!




And now, the bad news. Today, I got a letter from the boys school. They did student vision screenings last month, and according to their findings, Lucas has some degree of vision difficulty and may need glasses.

I know there are worse things in life than wearing glasses, but not when you're 10 years old. Personally, I think he's more upset at the possibility of missing school to go to the eye doctor.

Friday Fill-Ins #92

1. October __Is one of the best times of the year to be an Arizona resident__.

2. __This mess with the economy__ scare me!

3. Leaves are falling all around, it's ___clogging our pool filter___.

4. My favorite horror movie is ___Poltergeist___ because ___the house was cool...even if it was haunted___.

5. ___Vacations at California theme parks___ = good memories.

6. It was a dark and stormy night __and hyper Lucas was running around the back yard because he enjoys that kind of weather__.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to __having lunch with Q, getting my hair done, and taking everyone out for ice cream (I have coupons!)__. Tomorrow my plans include __going to the gym, cleaning the upstairs bathroom, and taking Lucas to half-off day at Goodwill__. And Sunday, I want to __study for a Space Planning test, finish the laundry, watch Desperate Housewives__!