♪ So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye ♫

It has certainly felt like I have said "adieu" to my blog. I haven't written for months! This has mostly been because school has started again at our house. And once school starts I have very little free time for my hobbies. Now, I only have a few hobbies--blogging being one of them--but my chief hobby is reading. If I am given the choice between watching a show on Netflix, blogging, playing a game, reading, etc., I am going to choose reading every time. :) Unless a really good show like Merlin catches my fancy on Netflix. Then I'll watch every single episode in order at every possible chance I get! (Merlin is another reason I haven't blogged lately.)

Today David took Paige and Emma with him to my grandfather's farm. Dave goes there most Saturdays to chop down trees and cut wood. There is a lovely stream running through the property and a lot of woods for the girls to explore.

With the rest of the family gone, Abs and I have had a nice few hours together. She's napping now so I was going to sit down and read...or play my new puzzle video game. :) But then I remembered my blog and how I haven't written since summer. I figured God had given me a perfect opportunity to sit down and write. Or maybe He wanted me to do some dusting....? Nah. Definitely time to write. ;-)

Abby's 2nd birthday

On Sunday, December 12 Abigail celebrated 2 years of life. We were to have a birthday party for her on Saturday with my parents and David's parents, but unfortunately God predetermined for southern Minnesota to experience a massive blizzard that day. Instead we tried for Sunday. Well, the roads were still nasty so no party that day either.

But being as it WAS her birthday, and church was cancelled due to the storm, we decided to gather with David's parents at their place and have cake and ice cream and open gifts. Admittedly it was difficult to even get out of our driveway. Perseverance!

Since Abby LOVES babies I ordered her a baby cake.



 She of course was thrilled with the baby on her cake.

 Name one child who DOESN'T prematurely sample their cake? ;-)

 Abby with her new purse from Gram-gram. Abby has to make sure that she has the wallet with her purse at all times.

 David and I gave Abby a baby. She sleeps with it every night.

 ~
A few days later, once the roads were back to winter "normal" I took the girls to my mom's place. There Abby opened gifts from my mom and step-dad.

 Mom gave Abby a Pillow Pet.

Abby also received a figurine of a girl holding a number 2. Abby likes holding the little girl and inspecting her.

~~

I know every parent says this, but it really is amazing how quickly children grow up. They advance from being little stoic lumps to crawling and then running and talking in such a short span of time. And when they begin to speak they have such cute little voices. (Except when you have to listen to them shout "NO!" for about the 37th time that day...) Pretty soon they're telling you stories and asking you to paint their faces "like a chipmunk".

Speaking of which, I have to go draw a chameleon on Paige's face. ☺ Toodles!

A few Twins game pictures

On Thursday, September 2, David and I along with my brother-in-law and his wife attended a Minnesota Twins game at Target Field. The game started at 7:10. Shortly after we arrived the sky started to look really gloomy. We had just found our seats and sat down when Daniel looked up and said, "Oh. That looks green. We gotta go. Now." I thought he was kidding. But he said, "No. It's gonna rain any minute." So we hie-tailed it out of there and just as we got under the shelter of the upper decks it started to rain. I accidentally snapped this picture as I was running for cover.

After the rain stopped there was a lovely rainbow. ☺

Back to our seats--armed with a load of paper towels. I took this picture of David to send to the Jumbotron people, hoping David would get up on the board and we'd win a camera. We didn't.The game was about to begin. :)

After 13 innings (!!!) the Twins lost. But the night wasn't a total loss--the pretzel with cheese was very good. So were the mini donuts. ;-)

The View

...from my house looked like this on July 16, 2010. As you can see road construction has begun on our street. A crew of men and mega machinery came through and removed all of the surface tar, curbs and gutters, and our front walkway.  

Jump ahead now to today, July 26. This morning I was once again awoken at 7:30am to the sound of *beep beep beep beep*. No, that wasn't my alarm calling out to me. It was the joyful noise of the dump trucks backing up. The crews have been hard at it today; steadily making their way down the street excavating. This is the view in front of our house now:

We are currently the proud owners of a pile of dirt instead of a green boulevard of grass. ☺

"Commencing facebook interface."

Several months ago I wrote a post that linked the happenings of my facebook account with the lengthy discussion board of my blogger account. To quote Woody the Sheriff, "... [it] was I think, a big success." ☺ So much so that I'm doin' it again!

• I got to pick raspberries at my Mom's today. And I found out she ordered extra pickles to can just for our family. 26 jars of my mom's pickles!!!!!!!!! : ) July 12 at 4:53pm. I was so thrilled about this revelation. I cannot brag enough about my mom's canned pickles. They are fantastic. Actually, they're better than fantastic, they're STUPENDOUS! Every year we help my mom can them, and then she'll give us 10 jars as our "pay". Now let me just state for the record, folks, that 10 jars is not nearly enough. Those precious few jars only last a couple months at the most. So last year I told my mom that I wanted a 1/2 bushel of pickles ordered for my family. Low and behold my mom remembered. Oh, and she has two raspberry patches, and they are excellent as well. The berries are so much more flavorful than the ones you buy in the store.
• Whew! It's muggy today. July 14 at 9:50am. It has been so humid lately. Every morning before I get out of bed I check the current weather conditions and the forecast for the day from my phone. And no kidding, EVERY day the current conditions say, "88% humidity" (or around that number) at 8:00am. Eighty-eight percent right away in the morning! That's high enough to make you want to stay in bed despite the sunshine streaming through the cracks in the blinds. Consequently if you try to do any activity that requires movement of your body--say for example walking out your back door--you will be covered in your own bodily fluids. Fun times!
• Nicole Sowers had a GREAT day at Valleyfair! They were virtually NO lines at any of the rides, including the water park. Note to self though: when an amusement park ride says "You Will Get Wet" they mean it. July 15 at 10:11pm. Last Thursday my mom took P&E and I to Valleyfair, our state's amusement park. See, MN doesn't have a Six Flags, but we have the next best thing: Valleyfair. Think of it in ketchup terms: you don't have Heinz, but you do have Hy-Vee brand. ☺ VF is super fun though. I have been waiting to take P&E until they were tall enough to ride on the majority of the rides, and finally this year Emma was. P&E, especially E, are fearless! They wanted to ride on the rides that went upside down and fast and generally looked scary or vomit-inducing! So Mom and I endured many of them (despite both of us having tendencies towards motion sickness. Thank you Dramamine.) My last line about the water ride had to do with this: immediately upon entering the park you're greeted by this ride that consists of a large boat and a large water slide. Basically the boat goes up a ramp, spins around, and then slides down a slide; thus producing a massive wave. The girls wanted to ride this one first, and Mom and I agreed--figuring we wouldn't get that wet. Uhh...yeah. We got wet. Severely wet. Looking-like-we-fell-into-a-lake wet.
• Yesterday was a great day! Great teaching during Family Bible Time, had the Lord's Supper during our main service, and then got to enjoy some softball and volleyball. And I would like to brag a little bit more about who won the v-ball games: our team! ;-) I'm just glad that Caleb lost. *laughing to myself* July 19 at 9:20am. Sunday was a fun day. Church was great (as always). I particularly enjoy when we have the Lord's Supper. One reason is that we don't do it very often so when we do it's like a special treat and a wonderful way to bring glory and honor to God. After our church service we had a church picnic. We ate lunch, and then the sporting goods were brought out. I mostly watched everyone play softball as Abby was being a cling-on. But I did get to play 2 rousing games of volleyball in which the team I was on won both games. Woot woot! Caleb likes to playfully "talk smack" so I always have to give him guff whenever an opportunity presents itself. ☺
• Nicole Sowers is stressed. Tuesday at 9:45am. I was very anxious this morning because I had kind of forgotten about Emma's birthday this week. You ever have one of those times when you have something in the back of your mind, and it's there kind of lingering, and you remember it at odd moments but then you immediately forget about it again? Yeah. That's what happened to me concerning Emma's birthday. I knew it was coming up, but all of a sudden it was this week; the day just snuck up on me. I had to plan things last minute, and as a result some of her friends weren't able to attend her party. But we have 5 friends who will be there, and Lord willing they'll have a highly enjoyable time. This post also brought about a reminder verse that is very suited to me: Philippians 4:6. God's Word tells us to "Be anxious for nothing." This is a good verse to have memorized. (Verse 7, too.)
• Late night Toaster Strudels. That's all I have to say. Last night at 9:26pm. Toaster Strudels. Do they really need an introduction? Those delicate pastries have accounted for a good portion of my spare tire. (Or was it the Pop Tarts? Maybe it was the 3 Musketeers? Coulda been Mtn. Dew, too, I suppose...) *wink* I had a craving for them last night, and I indulged it.
• Boy my girls are hyper. Must have been the copious amounts of sugar they ate today. Today at 10pm. Carrie took my girls and I to the Twin Cities today to pick up my bridesmaid dress. Afterwards we went to Byerly's Market for lunch and some delicious desserts. (I picked up a red velvet cupcake for myself and a raspberry cheesecake for David.) Then we hit the Mall of America. After that shopping was done we decided to call it a day. But then on the way home we saw the Yellow Apple Barn on the side of the road, advertising all it's wonderful goodies--like peanut logs. The sign was beckoning, and who can resist an inviting sign? ☺ The yellow barn was FILLED with candy. So between the goodies from the mall and the apple place P&E had a lot of yummy treats today. But it made settling down for bedtime difficult.

"Disconnecting facebook link."

While the storms raged outside...

...my girls were busy coloring and painting inside.

Last night we went to my mom's house for supper. Dave told me before we left that we were in a tornado watch. Pa-shaw I thought. Nothing will happen. We'll be fine. Well, much to my chagrin the storms DID come! The sky turned to black as night, and the clouds rumbled for an hour non-stop. The lightning was incredible, and it hailed, too. The girls were a little frightened, but I calmly reminded them that Grandma's brick house has stood for 130 years worth of storms, and it will probably make it through this one as well. (A fact that my husband had to gently remind ME of regarding OUR house. ☺)

I love how Abby holds a pencil/pen/marker. Right from the beginning she has gripped it like an adult would. It's so cute to me!

After the storm had mostly passed and the sun came back out Dave took me for a ride on the four wheeler so we could check out the flooding between my mom's house and her neighbors'. It rained 3.5 inches in an hour.

While were were riding we noticed that the sky looked lit up in an odd way. I snapped a couple of pictures. It seemed to be glowing off to the east. Then we noticed the DOUBLE rainbow that was surrounding the glowing sky. It was truly majestic!

Memorial Day and other business ☺

I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day. The cemetery was decorated very nicely. The city always puts up a very large wreath on top of the "Dough boy" (the statute of the WWI soldier), and there were flags everywhere. The girls were asking me why Lukey didn't get a flag. They are very sweet. 

We went to my mom's for the afternoon. Before we left I snapped a few pictures of the girls with my phone. Emma was being quite patriotic in the first picture. Her shirt said "U.S.A.", and even her sandals were red, white, and blue.

This is a picture of the yummy snack spread that my mom and brother had prepared for us. I sat around eating for quite awhile. ☺

After I snacked too much my brothers, David, and I spent hours playing baseball. We didn't actually have a game; we just took turns batting, pitching, and fielding. It was so much fun! Except I nailed my brother not once but twice in the stomach while I was batting. :-/ Whoops!

After batting practice we enjoyed a delicious supper of steaks on the grill and a fruit bowl. And mom made banana bread for dessert.

*****

In other news we finished school for the year. Yay! Our last day of actual lessons was last Friday. On Thursday Paige's yearly test arrived. I decided we'd do that yesterday. Now, this is the first year that we have had to do annual testing, and I admit I was a little leery. But after I glanced through the test itself I thought to myself This is going to be breeze. It'll only take us, like, 2 hours. Those of you who have done these yearly tests before will think me a real dunce head right about now. ☺ We started that test yesterday at 12:30, and we didn't finish until 7:30. Admittedly we took several breaks, but the test itself took for sure 4 hours. Afterwards I received an email from a friend, and it said, "Did you get all the testing done in one day? I always spread it out over a week." *laughing to myself* Live and learn, right? Next year I will know that we will need to set aside at least 2 days for testing.

*****

I have a big complaint lately, and it's one word, one syllable, and it rhymes with that, fat, mat, cat, bat, sat...you get the picture: GNATS! Oh man, have they been awful this year. I remember last summer that the bugs didn't seem to be too bad. But now this year they have been mauling us whenever we go outside. I am reminded of a scene from Lord of the Rings when the Hobbits are traveling with Stryder, and they have to go through marshland. The bugs are bothering them all so terribly that Merry quips, "What do they eat when they don't get Hobbit?" I feel your pain, Merry. I really do.

*****
I have posted a new poll for those who are interested. The results of my last poll were that 4 people put their pants on with their left leg first, and 10 put their right leg first. After I had posted my poll and people had voted a friend pointed out that I didn't leave any room for people who jumped in both feet at the same time. ☺ Funny! No, I had forgotten about that. I didn't even think that someone would do that. So, if you were a two-feet-at-a-time person I apologize for not accommodating you. =)

My next poll is related to my last. I have noticed that when I thread my belt I always thread it through the left. Since my daughter Emma is left-handed I try to remember to thread hers through the right. I assumed that was how things were done -- you thread a belt based upon which hand you use. But in the interest of being sure I am conducting a poll.

*****
That is all from bug-central, I mean my house. Have a great week!

My life in snippets

Yesterday while I was gathering ideas on what to post on I came up with this: why not check my facebook account and see what I've been writing about day-to-day. See, I always think that I can't write a post on my blog unless it's something lengthy and worthwhile. P-shaw! Of COURSE I can write just little posts about random topics. ☺

• The silverfish are breeding. Wait, do they breed? Maybe they're just multiplying... (April 16 at 8:54am) Ewww! I HATE silverfish! They are so gross and squishy, and they have those long antennae. *shaking body all over* The night before I wrote this post David killed a silverfish in the bathroom (which is where we always see them). The next morning I turned on the water in the bathtub for my shower, and when I stepped into the tub there was a shriveled up silverfish in the bottom of the tub. I was NOT pleased.
• Home school play today! I'm kinda nervous... (April 18 at 9:16am) and then at 8:48pm: The home school play went so well today! The children and young adults did a fabulous job! I'll be singing those songs though for weeks to come. Since January the New Ulm home school group that my girls and I belong to has been practicing a play titled "Esther-ordinary Faith". It is about Queen Esther and a fictional scribe to the King. The scribe learns through Esther's faith to put HIS faith in the Lord as well. It was such a great play! The songs were fantastic, and of course the message is tremendous. I was so nervous though about the play. I ALWAYS get nervous before events like that. So silly. But everything went to so well! I was in the back of the room just beaming at the students!
• ♪ I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever! ♫ What a B-E-A-U-tiful day! (April 19 at 9:37am) Last week was gorgeous here in southern Minnesota. The temperature was at least 70° every day, and the sun was shining. It has seemed like the end of May instead of April. Each night we've been able to enjoy the beautiful days by going on family bike rides and playing catch with the baseball. And the girls want to go outside right away in the morning, but I usually put the kibosh on that as we need to do school in the morning. Oh, and that hymn I quoted is just a great song all around. ☺
• I found Emma a lefty glove. Now the whole family can play catch. :) (April 19 at 4:53pm) Emma is the only left-handed person in our immediate family. A few Fridays ago David was playing catch with his brother and the girls. David and Daniel kept noticing that Emma was throwing spasmodically, and they just figured she wasn't very good yet. The next day when I played ball with David and the girls Paige was so irritated at Emma because Emma wasn't throwing well. That's when I noticed Emma was using a right-handed glove and throwing with her right hand. Ding Ding Ding! The search began that day for a child's lefty glove. Thankfully two stores in New Ulm sold them, and after we got her the correct glove we found out that she really excels at catching and throwing. Paige isn't as irritated at Emma now. Notice I said "AS irritated". ;-)
• Nicole Sowers has been replaced with a robot today. (April 20 at 9:56am) I have been so tired lately for several hours after waking up. That day I was particularly exhausted. I could have slept until 10.
• My arm hurts from playing catch. But as Hunter Hutchens would say: "Good pain!" (Wed at 8:22pm) This post needs a little explaining: my nephew Hunter was in gymnastics with my girls for one semester. On the last day of class the students take the parents around the gym and show the moms and dads what they have learned. Hunter was performing some kind of roll, and he hit his head I believe. But instead of crying or acting hurt he just smiled and said rather sheepishly, "Good pain!"
• My mom brought me a pan of rhubarb cake! Moms are the best! (Ooh, and I AM one!) (Yesterday at 9:09am) My mom surprised us with a visit Thursday afternoon. And she brought along a freshly baked, STILL WARM pan of rhubarb cake. Ooh was it delicious! We each had a piece right away.
• Nicole Sowers has to write on her blog for Stephanie Goblirsch (Yesterday at 3:38pm) I had to post on my blog for my friend Steph because she commented in my sister-in-law's facebook post, "Try getting her (Nikki) to write a blog, its like pulling teeth!"

So there you are, Steph! I hope I have written enough posts for you to read for at least two hours. ;-)

Here Bloggie, Bloggie. Where are you? Come here, Boy!

I was lying in bed last night, just thinking. And I realized that I hadn't posted in awhile. I started to mull this over more, and I thought about why I started a blog in the first place: I wanted a reason to write more. So I came up with a resolution: I WILL post once a week and write about "something". I mean, there HAS to be something that has happened during my week that I could write about, right? Sure? Maybe? Other people have weekly columns. Why shouldn't I? ... This will be attempt number 1. *wink*

~~~***~~~

Last Sunday I was ill. (Seems like I have been feeling poorly regularly as of late. Another reason why I haven't posted.) Abigail and I stayed home from church. After she woke up from her nap she crawled onto the sofa with me and was eating Goldfish crackers. I snapped a quick picture of her. She LOVES cheese!

~~~***~~~

Yesterday morning we went to the bank. If you'll recall, as a child going to the bank was a thrill because of one thing: safety suckers! Every time we visit the tellers they give us suckers and stickers. Yesterday was no exception. The only problem is that the bank ladies usually only give suckers to Paige and Emma and not Abby. When Abby saw her sisters with suckers she had to have one, too. Thankfully Paige shared her sucker with Abby. And when we got home I dug an extra one out of my purse. Then Abby proceeded to sit down by P&E next to the heat vent (P&E's regular sitting spot). I thought that was so funny that she had to copy them and even sit where they do! Right after I took this picture our cat Smoky came by us. Abby then rubbed her sucker in Smoky's fur, repeatedly. Needless to say that was the end of the yummy red treat.

~~~***~~~

Paige made up a joke this week at the grocery store. We were in the soda and popcorn aisle when she saw a box of popcorn called "Pop Secret".

"Whoa, Mom! Look at this! Pop Secret!" she said. Then she started to laugh. "Hey, Mom. What if two secret agents were talking to each other, and then they said, 'Don't tell anyone about this. It's POP secret.'" She laughed again, and then she came up with the following joke:

Q: What did one soda spy say to the other soda spy? A: "Don't tell anyone. This is POP secret."

I laughed heartily!

~~~***~~~

Last week my friend Sarah came over to hang out for an evening. She brought along a game that I had never heard of before: Bananagrams. Oh man, if you enjoy word games, and I do, then this is the game for you! It's fast paced; kind of a combination of Boggle and Scrabble, and best of all, it's a word game! Can you tell I like word games? ☺

~~~***~~~

Poll results

Thanks to everyone who voted on my poll. ☺ Almost unanimously people voted that you should pronounce Either/Neither as EE-ther/NEE-ther versus EYE-ther/NYE-ther. Only one person chose the latter, and I think that was me. (Sometimes it's hard for me to remember how I voted. *wink*) But that's how I normally say it. Guess I'm the oddball.

~~~***~~~

Today is the first day of spring. Thursday was almost 60°, and it was so wonderful. Almost all the snow around here is melted. Happy spring!

Nothing says "Yum!" like a free meal

Last night David and I celebrated our 9th anniversary. Our actual anniversary isn't until February 3, but we celebrated early. My mother-in-law watched our girls while we went to nearby Mankato, MN to have dinner at the Olive Garden. (A big thank you to Carrie!!!) We had an excellent time together, but the best part was what happened during our meal:

~~ I planned for us to arrive at Olive Garden by 5 o'clock so we could beat the dinner rush. I also figured if we went on a Thursday night at 5 the restaurant would REALLY be slow. My scheme worked splendidly; the restaurant only had about half a dozen other diners.

We ordered our meals quickly, and then sat and enjoyed each other's company. We had our salad and soup, and then we waited for our dinner entrées. The waitress stopped by, and said our meals would be out in a few minutes. Those "few minutes" passed, and David commented that he wondered when we'd get our food. He checked his watch and noticed that we had been in the restaurant 45 minutes already and didn't have our meals. Strange.

Just then our waitress walked up with the manager behind her, and she explained that she placed our orders into the computer system, but somehow the kitchen never received them. Then the manager apologized, and said our dinner entrées would be "on the house". EXCELLENT! Since we hadn't even noticed how long we had been waiting we weren't disgruntled about our meals being late at all. The food came out 4 minutes later, and it was delicious; worth the wait!

So with our free main entrées our total was less than $20, and since we had a gift card we only spent a few dollars out of our own pockets. It was a fantastic dinner all around! ☺
~~~
After dinner we did some shopping at Yankee Candle, Bath and Body Works, and Old Navy. I had coupons or gift cards for all three stores, so our savings continued through the night.

When we were done shopping we did another wonderful thing: we visited my mom! I hadn't seen her since Christmas (other than viewing her through the webcam), and it was so nice to actually hug her. She looked really good! And want to know what else? She sent us home with a care package that included canned chili, pickles, relish, and jam. And then she gave us 3 pounds of crab legs. Moms are the best!!!

Goodies and stuff

It's been over a week since I last posted. What can I say? It's been a normal week, but I just haven't had extra time to post. Mostly because several nights this week David and I have been working on our taxes. I am happy to say that we finished them Friday evening, and I mailed them right away Saturday morning. ☺ We finished them 10 days earlier this year than last year. I am thankful that David has the motivation to want to do them as soon as the new year starts. If it were up to me I probably wouldn't start them until April 13. ;-)

First off, I appreciate your prayers regarding my mom and my grandmother. My mom is doing well. I talk to her daily via Skype. (Side note: have you ever used Skype? It is great! It's a free service that allows you to communicate with people over the Internet via webcams and microphones. So we get to not only talk to my mom, but we can see her now, too! Wünderbar!) She is still working albeit not as much as before. My step-dad has set up her office in their home now so she doesn't have to work out in their automotive shop. (The smells were bothering her.) This will be beneficial in another way as she can rest whenever she needs to. Her next round of chemotherapy will be the 29th. I would appreciate your continued prayer.

Now on to my grandma. After two years of being my grandmother's power of attorney David has instructed me to not do the job anymore. I am relieved. God has worked this situation out for good, and it has resulted in less anxiety in my life. I was unsure if I should stop being Grandma's POA based upon the guidelines in 1 Timothy 5 concerning widows, but I also cannot disobey my husband if he has not asked me to sin, and I don't think he was by telling me to quit. David simply was trying to protect me from added stress and heartache. Grandma didn't want me to do the job anymore anyway, so it is better for both of us. I am thankful for your prayers for me concerning this situation. I pray that I would be compassionate towards Grandma and that I would have opportunities to minister to her spiritually.

Abigail has been particularly irritable lately. I think she might be teething as she's inconsolable. I just now had to put her in her crib for awhile because she is so upset. I am not sure what to do to help her other than giving her Tylenol and Oragel. Please pray that I would be sensitive to her needs and tender-hearted as I have a tendency to lose patience quickly.

Lastly, here were the results of my latest poll:

• 2 people aren't affected by the cold weather, and they don't even zip up their jackets. I had a friend growing up that went to the same bus stop as me. I remember that she wore this brown leather jacket, and she NEVER zipped it. Even when it was below 0° outside and windy, she STILL didn't close her coat. She didn't wear gloves or a hat either. She was a hard-core Minnesotan!
• 5 voters, the majority, at least wear gloves or mittens. Kudos to you all because if your hands and feet are cold they send colder blood back to your heart, and that subsequently chills your entire body. Then you won't feel as warm. My mother-in-law has told me that if you wear slippers around your house you can keep the thermostat lower because your body will feel warmer. She is right! I wear slippers every day, and if I do I can wear short sleeved shirts in the winter.
• 1 person totally bundles up for the weather. I think this part of my poll was flawed as I tried voting for this selection, too, but I don't think my vote was tallied. *sigh* I decided last year that I was no longer going to freeze in MN, and I was going to forgo fashion and simply wear proper winter attire.

I am going to consult with David on my next poll topic. Hopefully he'll have a good one. ☺

Holiday decorating

My aunt Julie, my mom's sister, is a talented floral designer. For many years now she has made floral arrangements and wreaths and garlands for her sisters and their families. They are gorgeous! Well, up until this year I didn't have one of her arrangements, but now I do! My mom had her make a Christmas wreath and garland for our house. Oh, I am so excited! Mom brought over the Christmas decorations on Sunday, and David immediately put them up. The garland fits our banister PERFECTLY, and I just love the holly berries and pine cones mixed in with the greenery and red ribbon.

Dave strung a set of white lights through the garland.

Now if only I could get my cat Dingo to stop chewing on it! ;-)

It is so bushy and full! LOVE IT!!!!!

I won't get scurvy anytime soon.

As I was getting ready to take a bath the other night, I did a mental checklist of all the items I would need to bathe:

1. Peach-scented bubble bath. Check!
2. Pineapple-scented soap. Check!
3. Strawberry-scented shampoo. Check!
4. Orange-scented conditioner. Check!
5. Pear berry-scented shaving cream. Check!

Did you notice a pattern there because it didn't jump out to me at first? *wink* I LIKE FRUITY PRODUCTS!

For my birthday this past year, my mother-in-law's sister wanted to buy me homemade soaps from etsy.com. So she consulted my MIL about which scents I would like. Since my MIL sells Avon, and I've purchased from her several times in the past, she told Aunt Anne that I always order fruity products. I laughed, but it's so true! Just look at the ridiculous list of toiletries! I need products that are labeled "Fruit Salad"; that would satisfy my daily dose of Vitamin C. ☺

Thinking of that pineapple soap I just have to share with you that I found a terrific homemade soap on etsy.com. The bar is HUGE, and the soap bubbles up so nicely. I have been having a difficult time trying to find a nice pineapple soap to rival the one that Aunt Anne originally gave to me for my birthday. (The last few times I've tried to order that soap on etsy's site, the seller has been listed as "out of town for a few weeks and the shop is closed". That was months ago!) I like this new soap very much.

Snickers doesn't satisfy

Last night we went to Wal-Mart as a family. On the way I asked David if he had anything that he needed. "Gum?" I asked. (He chews a pack a day.) "Yes." he said. He was down to two packs. Somehow this conversation sparked another discussion about how we didn't have money lately. [I am sure that David will comment about how I have butchered this story which I welcome because my memory is fussy. ☺] Anyway, David joked that he was going to "off" me so that he could collect my life insurance policy.
I told him, "I don't have a life insurance policy. If I die you are stuck with all the expenses and my debt."
"What expenses?" he said. "The cost of the funeral?"
"Yeah." I replied.
And he said, "Well, I won't have to feed you anymore so I'll save a lot of money there." ☺