"Hey, how's it going?"

"Good. How are you?"

"I'm fine, thanks."

I'm sure you've had this exact conversation, or a similar one, on a regular basis.

I'd venture to guess that it is one of the most common conversations.

I was thinking about this and I came to the conclusion that there is no feeling behind the words. Sure, maybe saying hi is heartfelt, but when someone asks how are you do you really think they care? OBVIOUSLY YOU DON'T BECAUSE THEN YOU'D PROBABLY SAY SOMETHING OTHER THAN GOOD OR FINE!! But you do say that, because its expected. Even if you're having a terrible day, you say I'm good, thanks. And out of habit, you ask how are you in return. They respond in the same way you did. All of this happens in just a few seconds. There is no emotion connected to the conversation and then you continue walking in the direction you were headed. [keep in mind you probably didn't actually stop in the first place.] You probably go on to forget about the person who just interrupted your original thought process.

I find this a difficult conversation because I'm usually not just good or fine, but theres no time to elaborate. Usually when I try to expand my answer I end up talking really fast to fit it all in. Then I remember they don't care. Then I cut it short and I sound like an idiot whose just making awkward noises.

Sometimes, however, people say "What's up?" DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED!

It's all just silly. If you don't have this conversation with people, you come off as a Scrooge. And if you do, then you're simply just saying emotionless words.

wisdom teeth thursday..?!

i DARE you to watch this without laughing.

the whole thing.

aaaaand for the record, yes i do know this girl. she's a friend from last year and she is fully aware this was documented and is now on youtube.

enjoy (:

wordless wednesday: I couldn't have set this up better if I had done it on purpose

This is Poo!

I know it's kind of a long shot to relate this video to my day theme... but, I am at a loss for what else I can post today...so here's a little after Christmas cheer. He's just saying what we all thought after unwrapping at least one of our gifts this year :) Proof there is such a thing as 'too honest'.

Maybe he would have enjoyed a Kindle more... LIKE WHAT I GOT. YAYAYAYAY!

36 hours.

we left wausau at 11 PM friday night.

and we were back by 11 AM sunday morning.

...in between, we drove 1222 miles.

(from our station in WI, to his house in IN, to my house in OH and then all the way back)

add two 2-hour naps, 2 bottles of sun drop (a wisconsin-based brand of pop with 82.5 grams of sugar!) and two crazy kids and you've got an epic (spontaneous) christmas weekend roadtrip.

(he took this pic at the end of our trip which is why we look so tired)

happy christmas!

i know today isn't my day, but if you haven't seen this, you should.

it's the perfect current-day portrayal of how christmas would have been if it originally occurred in 2010 (:

enjoy + happy christmas!

Heaven's not beyond the cloud..

..it's just beyond the fear.

This song is about the first Christmas during World War I. The words speak for themselves.

Oh the snow flakes fell in silence
Over Belleau Wood that night
For a Christmas truce had been declared
By both sides of the fight
As we laid there in our trenches
The silence broke in two
By a German soldier singing
A song that we all knew

Though I did not know the language
The song was Silent Night
Then I heard my buddy whisper
"All is calm, all is bright"
Then the fear and doubt surrounded me
Cause I'd die if I was wrong
But I stood up in my trench
And I began to sing along

Then across the frozen battlefield
Another's voice joined in
Until one by one each man became
A singer of the hymn

Then I thought I was dreaming
For right there in my sight
Stood the German soldier
Neath the falling flakes of white
And he raised his hand and smiled at me
As if seemed to say
Here's hoping we both live to see
Us find a better way

Then the devils clock struck midnight
And the skies lit up again
And the battlefield where heaven stood
Was blown to hell again

But for just one fleeting moment
The answer seemed so clear
Heaven's not beyond the clouds
Its just beyond the fear

No heaven's not beyond the clouds
It's for us to find here

especially for the 10th day of christmas.. or is it the 11th?

love these guys. they tickle me with happiness everytime (:

wordless wednesday: 5 month outtakes

Following an Online Tutorial

Over the past year or so, I have really come to rely on the Internet as a source for learning how to do things.  When the basement toilet needed a new fill valve, rather than calling a plumber, I turned to the Internet and found a tutorial on how to install my new fill valve.  It was definitely not entertaining, but oh so useful.  A lot of times following web tutorials makes me feel like the man of the house because they usually have to do with power tools, building materials, or electrical work.  This week though, I found a tutorial that was not a video and made me feel a lot more like the lady of the house.

You all know me pretty well and know that I am sort of baby obsessed.  I am pretty sure that I was that way before I worked at Babies'R'Us and that job just got me interested in all of the gear that goes with a small person.  Well, this week I wanted to make a gift for my sister-in-law for her birthday, and since she just had a baby, I thought something baby related would be great.  I knew we would give her a gift card, but I knew I like opening actual presents that have been thought out a bit, so she might like that too.  Enter the Internet with its many crafty blogs.  After looking around at a few ideas, I found this blog.  Step by step instructions to make a car seat canopy.  It was perfect!  (I know some of you are thinking that's a lame birthday present, but I wanted to make it so that she could use it when they go to Disneyland.  That way the baby can nap while they enjoy the park.  They live like 5 minutes away and she loves it there, she really it was a gift for her to be able to enjoy Disneyland.)

So... I went to Joann's and found the perfect fabric.  Mickey Mouse!

 

I got to sewing and made a pretty nice canopy cover.  Too bad I forgot to take a picture before giving it to my SIL for her birthday yesterday.  So... instead of that one, here are some pictures of the pieces to my latest and greatest canopy for Baby D. Followed by the finished project.

 Pieces

Finished.
(with the buttons, I think it kind of looks like a stingray)
I know it's not a perfect match to go with his car seat, but its still pretty cute and non-girly.  Plus, its snugly flannel.

I hope to follow this tutorial some day too and make a cover as cool as this one.

So... will you take the challenge this week?  Try a new online tutorial.  Maybe this one, or this one, or even this one.

Let me know how it goes.

Hallelujah

I love people.

Crazy, creative people.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

because hawaii wasn't already cool enough...

...now even their marching band is awesome.

in other news, their football team isn't bad either.

the hawaii warriors went 10-3 in the WAC this season

and will be playing in the hawaii bowl on christmas eve.

...who knew, right?

We descended from elves...

In light of the Christmas season, you should all know that my family actually descended from elves.

Literally.

I figured I can't keep this secret anymore, so this qualifies as an acceptable frank friday.

"my dad's a chocolate chip cookie so your dad's baked inside him soo.."

i love tickle me thursdays more than anyone loves any other day of the week.

i love saturday night live and i watch it more than you i bet.

and i love penelope because she's better than you at everything probably sooo..

wordless wednesday: i dare you not to laugh.

Netflix for Wii

Last year for Christmas Jon and I received a Wii from my parents. It was really exciting, but somewhat unexpected since I have never really played video games. We started playing the Wii Sports Resort games first. We quickly realized that I am really bad at most games. Where most people can sit and do the archery game, I have to stand up and stand in the full-on archery stance in order to play. Once, when playing the tennis game, I ended up standing in our kitchen swinging my "racket" because I could not figure out how to hit the ball more gently. You can imagine my frustration when I was constantly losing the games.

Recently though, Jon and I found an amazing new use for our Wii. This solution keeps both of us entertained without me having to be frustrated. We have discovered Netflix for Wii that streams directly to the TV. We LOVE it! We had been Netflix members for the last year and watched shows online while also receiving them in the mail. But direct streaming to our TV, I love it! In the last month we have watched Bones season 1-5. We've both watched episodes on TV, but it has been so awesome to watch them in the proper order online. I so wish that Booth and Bones would just get together already.

source

After finishing season 5 on Sunday evening, I needed season 6. I am not kidding. I needed the newer episodes. So... I looked online and hulu now has a deluxe membership. $7.99 a month to watch all of the latest season episodes in HD on a computer or any internet connected device. Yay for Season 6.

So... weekly challenge... see if you can find one of your favorite shows online... or just check out Bones. Cause really, its got to be in my top 5 favorite TV shows ever.

P.S. Booth is a total hottie and if you haven't watched the show before, be prepared to fall in love with him.

source

We're going to Disney Baby.

Growing up in Florida my family was extremely lucky to be so close to places people save up money for years to go to. Florida in general is awesome & beautiful, but theme parks help :) My parents took us everywhere; Cypress Gardens, Busch Gardens, Islands of Adventure, Adventure Island, Universal Studios & of course, Disney World (which is comprised of 4 parks itself; Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, MGM, & Epcot). I have soooo many memories of this place, have been probably over 100x to Disney alone, & it never got old! It was my childhood. I highly recommend it :) So, it's no surprise to see videos of kids reacting all crazy like this...




Makes you feel all good & cheery, yeah?

Then a friend showed me this video last week, & I have literally watched it about 50X since. Favorite 'We're going to Disney' response ever.

To be fair, Dick's house could be really awesome.

he was murdered and then set on fire...

i've been doing a lot of anchoring lately (mostly because lots of people are on vacation /

taking time off around the holidays / etc) so i'm kind of on the anchorman B-team at

WAOW. we don't really announce when our main team is gone and our B-team is at

the plate, but i like to think that if we did...it'd sound a little something like this:

^ i think this is my favorite news blooper of all time.

p.s. we got more than a foot of snow in about 24 hours yesterday.

hellooooo, winter in wisconsin.

those mile-high snow drifts won't be melting for like 5 more months...

I love children in Africa.

We should all use our skills to help the children in Africa...

because it is good...

and because I love them.

thursday = fireworks + spaghetti day!

wordless wednesday: spot the trend?

Making a Family DVD

On Saturday, Jon and I were able to travel down to Henderson, NV for my nephew Matthew's baptism. In preparation for the baptism my sister Beth sent me pictures from Matthew's childhood so far. Using my favorite computer ever, my wonderful Mac, I loaded the pictures into iMovie. This program allows you to create a perfectly timed slide show, that can even zoom in and out on a picture, in less than an hour. It took me longer than that cause I added a few pictures that I found of him on facebook. Then, you can add music. The music selection took awhile also. I needed to find the appropriate church songs that would last as long as the pictures. So... here's the video.

I think it would be fun to make something like this using Christmas songs and pictures of family from seasons past. Or even baby pictures of your child's first year using their favorite lullaby.

So... try it. Don't have a Mac? Try Windows Movie Maker, from what I read, it's just as simple.

Deshbort

You know every time you sign into Blogger you see those links on the right top side of the page that say 'Dashboard,' 'My account' etc...Well, when I see it I can't help but say 'dashboard' in my mind like the mom from the movie 'John Q.' It drives me crazy. Just in case you haven't seen the movie (which you should) or forgot that part, here it is.



Here's to hoping that I am no longer the only one who has to suffer with this :)

PS. Who's like 'I'm gonna put that John Q dashboard scene on YouTube, just in case someone reallllly wants to see it/embed it in their blog post" ...I didn't actually expect to find it, but thank you?

PPS. 'Oooo, And I'll add French subtitles, just in case that person who wants to embed it on their blog post is French' ...I'm not, but I appreciate the french version of slurred words :)

...and guess what?...

...I LOVE YOU. I LOVE YOU! I LOOOOOVE YOUUUU!!!!

i don't remember if i've seen "elf" all the way through in one sitting before, so when i saw it was on TV tonight...i knew i had to check it out. i don't usually laugh out loud at movies, but i totally did when he sang that song that he made up when he met his dad for the first time.

in the movie, zooey deschanel sings "baby it's cold outside," but the version on the soundtrack has this creepy super-low voiced guy singing it with her. so instead, i substitute it for this one that's on the radio the most lately. are there boys in lady antebellum? apparently there might be. weird.

...and now that i started thinking of zooey deschanel, it reminded me of "(500) days of summer" (during which she looked MUCH better as a brunette, i think) and then i randomly stumbled on this clip that (somehow) i had never seen before. i watched it and truly thought...what the heck? so i think that qualifies it for spontaneous sunday. enjoy.

(p.s. i LOVE joseph gordon-levitt)

Dancing can solve all your problems...

With finals coming up I've been extra stressed. While I was driving to my vocal lesson, I was just flipping through radio stations when I came across a song with a nifty beat.

I started to bob my head with the beat. Then I realized I was swaying side to side while I drove. Thats when I figured out what I should write about today.

Here's the sad part of the story. I pulled out my phone so I could record it and remember what song that was... but it didn't come through clearly enough to figure it out.

So I found something else to play you.

I dare you to sit still.

Dancing really does solve all of life problems....

or at least for a few minutes it does!

Besides, it's just what the doctor ordered!

*Currently listening to "Best Techno 2009"

babies everywhereeee!

TICKLE ME THURSDAY!

just love babies.

sorry if you've already seen them all.. but they're classics and bound to put a smile on your face (:

wordless wednesday... was this really only 20 weeks ago?

Reading a New Genre/Style

For as long as I can remember, I have always loved reading fiction and fantasy novels. I love reading and dreaming of other worlds and imagining that super powers and magical gifts could really be possible. Along those reading lines, lately I have soared through the pages of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Lost Hero, and Fablehaven. I even journeyed through the stories in the scriptures with the Hawkins family in Chris Heimerdinger's latest, Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites: Sorcerers and Seers.

To broaden my scope a little bit, I took my mother-in-laws challenge to read a series by Chris Stewart called The Great and Terrible. I know that most people looking at them would think that they are sci-fi/ fantasy fiction also, but after reading half of the first book, I have decided that they are a totally different style than I have ever read. They are adult fiction. Very dry, very slow paced, and very much lacking in transitions from one scene to the next.

source

Reading that, you would think that I was hating the series, but that is far from true. Honestly, it's kind of refreshing to fill in the gaps of the story on my own. I never realized it before, but Harry Potter somewhat spoiled me in the fact that every little detail tied together and every moment of the students Hogwarts life was depicted within the pages. I still love my teen fantasy fiction books and will keep reading them, but picking up a few more figure it out for yourself types of book might not be a bad idea.

So, tell me, what's your genre? Are you a biography reader looking for the make believe of a fantasy novel? A picture book reader who needs a little more content of a text book? Which type of book will you try this week?

If you want a great Christmas book and you love history, try this one on for size.

source

Manic Monday: Eco Bags have many uses...

Try doing this with a Wal-Mart sack...



And then Andrew got a little Braver....




I love my two crazy boys :)

tis (officially) the season (...finally).

sPoNtAnEoUs SuNdAy ( :

now that thanksgiving weekend has just about passed us by, it's once again socially acceptable to put up christmas lights, break out the holiday music (helloooo, n'sync christmas album) and get ready to celebrate the real reason for the season: the birth of our savior.

^...or video games. whatev.

p.s. thoughts about a new holiday blog background?

We are so lucky...

In light of the Thanksgiving holiday I thought it would be perfect to remember why we are so lucky. Today as I wished my family a safe trip home [back to Virginia] it really hit me how lucky I am to have such incredible parents and awesome siblings.

If that is all I ever get in this life, I still consider myself to be seriously blessed.

We really have so much to be grateful for and now is the time to recognize that. All of us are so lucky just to be able to wake up every morning and know that we have amazing friends and families. And on top of that, we should realize that we are so lucky to have this incredible country to live in. The freedoms that we take for granted, some people can't even dream of.

This post isn't just about me and why I'm so lucky. If you choose to comment, share with everyone else what you are thankful for.

happy turkey (thurs)day!

in the off chance that you haven't already seen them all..

and then just a little extra holiday travel humor.. (:

Wordless Wednesday: Rivalry Week outtakes

Change up your Style

Ask my husband, ask my friends, heck, even ask my parents, I am the least style forward person there ever was. When it comes to fashion my idea of the perfect outfit does not include the latest clutch or bangle, simply jeans, a soft cotton shirt, and a warm zip-up sweatshirt with a fuzzy lining. When I wake up in the morning, the last thing I want to do is blow dry my hair, style it, and apply some makeup only to be frustrated that the outcome looks nothing the way I wanted it to when I could have been reading blogs instead.

This is my style... only way more stylish.

Source

Well, in preparation for Thanksgiving with my in-laws this week, I decided I needed to change it up a little bit. Buy some nice new clothes that are not hand-me-downs since most of my closet is full of those. Also, attempt to wear makeup and style my hair each day. Crazy, right?

Out I went, shopping for the latest and greatest trends. I tried on tons of shirts, 15 pairs of pants, and even a few scarves. Now, this is where you ask me, what did I bring home from the stores? Hm... a pair of jeans from Plato's Closet (used clothing store... hand-me-down), a pair of black slacks for work, three long sleeve cotton shirts, and one really fashionable sweater in the ever so popular color of gray.

Did I have success in changing up my style this week? I think that would be an epic NO. But you know what, that's totally ok with me. I am comfortable in my clothes.

So... if I'm going to ask you to try something... it has to be something new I did. Well, part of my goal for the week was styling my hair every day. I am pretty sure I can be successful in this one. After seeing Megamind in the theaters, I decided I needed a fresh hairstyle too. I was totally inspired by Roxanne Ritchi's pixie cut and confident swagger, so I went for short.

Roxanne's adorable hair.
Source

And here it is, my shorter than my husband's hair haircut! It's only shorter in the back by a tiny bit.

Not nearly a pixie, but an A line that is shaved in the back.

Front view, I look a little crazy because I woke up to blog at 6:30 am. I have to work all day and then pack for California tonight.

So... whether it be branching out and buying a cute new blouse that you normally wouldn't, trying a big purse with a zipper flower on the front, or chopping off all of your hair.... try to change up your style a bit. Step out of your comfort zone and try it. Who knows, maybe you really have a fashion diva on the inside waiting to come out just like Andrea on Devil Wears Prada.

(Just Another) Manic Monday!

Am I the only one who remembers this song?

We all know Mondays are crazy. Typically they are my least anticipated day, but they are also the preface for how the rest of the week will go, therefore, we should choose to MAKE them great! Sadly, one of my favorite past times is laughing at the crazy things some people think/say/do.

Like this.

She is a nut job...who probably had a bad monday :)

Let's not be like her.

so hot right now.

if you want to take the quiz (and you know you do), you can go to this page to see it bigger.

i'm kim (pretend like that's a surprise).

also, if you don't watch regular tv and real commercials, this is one of my favorites.

it has three of my favorite things:

- adorable little kid with glasses

- pink bunny

- magically growing strawberries

plus...see if you can find:

- little kid playing air guitar

- panda in an airplane

- a keytar

- zebra lawn ornament

This is what the world needs...

I know we've all already seen this video,

but let's be frank here...

the world could always use a little more optimism!

Besides, I think she's precious.

ticklemethurs - this is my lucky day (:

(nearly) wordless wednesday

Refreshing a Piece of Furniture

Try Me Tuesday

After last weeks Christmas decorating challenge, I had some extra furniture that needed a home. One of the end tables was displaced by the tree and I decided that the best spot for it was next to Jon's side of the bed. See, neither of us have a nightstand, so I'd been making due without one, and Jon had been using an old trunk that I've owned since before I can remember.

There is no problem with the trunk. It functions great and does a good job of holding old clothes that I don't want to throw away yet, but... it was covered in kitties. In fact, my whole family refers to it as "the kitty box." Putting the table on Jon's side of the bed resulted in putting the box on my side of the bed, which is very much visible from our hallway. Every morning I would look in and think, man, the kitties are cute, but that does not belong in an adult bedroom.

Behold the Kitty Box

So... the gears started turning in my head and I knew this would be the perfect Tuesday activity. This week I tried to...

refresh an outdated piece of furniture.

What did I need?

• An old piece of furniture
• Blue painters tape
  
• Craft paint (costs like $.85 at the grocery store)
• Gloss clear spray paint
• Clearance vinyls from DB ($.49)
• Paint brushes
• The front of an old greeting card
• Craft glue
  
• Card stock and an exact-o knife for a stencil

I cleaned off the kitty box first, then painted two coats of the light blue paint on the entire box. This used less than one bottle of paint. I pulled out the hairdryer to help the paint dry a little faster.

Then, I printed out the letter H on some card stock to create a stencil for the front and back. Using the exact-o knife I cut that out carefully and taped it to the box with the painters tape. Using metallic gold paint from the grocery store, I sponge painted the H on both sides. Then, using some craft glue I glued the greeting card picture where I wanted it in the center of the top of the box. It looked weird, but I felt committed to having it there, so I sponge painted the gold all over the top of the picture and box. I used the hairdryer to dry the paint again.

I looked at it and it still seemed like it was missing something, so I grabbed the vinyls from my craft bin and put one on the front and back over the H. It seemed complete so outside I went with the gloss spray paint to give it a final coat. Et Voila! One completely refreshed "kitty box."

A completely refreshed trunk. The colors even match our bedding.

Here's the challenge to you... Have an old piece of furniture that doesn't really fit in? Try this yourself. I think the whole thing from start too finish took me an hour and a half and that included going to the store to get the paint. Send me a picture, let me know how it goes.

Oh, and to Vicki's comment from last week, I found this awesome video at the dollar store and took your advice.