My New Mantra

After a slightly rough week, I have a new mantra:

Be a duck.

Let that water roll right off.

Let's see if I can put it into practice!

Disappointment and Success

Yes, I was disappointed at the outcome of the Presidential election.  So disappointed, in fact, that I turned off the telly and climbed in bed around 10pm Tuesday evening.  I didn't even turn on the TV the next day.  The Romney sign is still in my front yard (think I'll be taking it down today).  I was also disappointed that CO voted to legalize marijuana.  Just what we need: a hotbed of potheads.

 If you remember, I was also having a refrigerator delivered on Tuesday.  I was excited when it arrived, especially because I could not find a scratch, A- or otherwise, anywhere on the front of it.  It was carefully carried into the house, hooked up (water through the door again... functional ice-maker...) and signed off on.  Then I set about the tedious task of pulling off all the packing tape and foam on the inside, wiping it down, and arranging our displaced food items neatly on it's shelves.

Then I peeled the protective plastic film from the doors.

There appeared to be some residue that I chalked up to grimy hand smears (some of the protective film had been torn so there were several large holes in it when it arrived), so I set to the task of wiping it down.  The residue didn't come off.  Upon further inspection, it looked to me like it was a flaw in the finish - like the film had stuck to some areas while the paint was wet.  I had Bill inspect it when he got home, however, in the dark of short winter days, neither he or my girls could really see any BIG problem.  I swore to them that it was blatantly obvious in the bright sunlight of midday.  The next day Bill confirmed that the flaw was obvious, at least a C or C- (we are professional appliance graders... cough, cough), and we should call the salesman to see what he could do.

The salesman wanted pictures, which I assured him would most likely NOT adequately show the problem, especially since, again, the evening darkness had fallen.  He told me take them anyway.  The warehouse needed them to determine the extent of the flaw.

Since this is all I could capture on camera (which, btw, looks like some surface buffing had been performed previously),

I did a little photo-editing to show the areas in question.

I've yet to hear back if we will be getting a different slightly-but-much-less flawed refrigerator as a replacement.  I'm disappointed that I spent a good 2 hours unpacking the interior of this baby.  On the other hand, I'm happy to have a refrigerator that doesn't smell funny because it's contents are only slightly above room temp.

Enough with the disappointments and on to some successes.

Last Saturday, Mar and Shi had a swim meet.  Mar's age group competed mid-morning, then Shi competed early-to-mid afternoon.  Bill timed for Mar's session, so I needed to attend to make sure she was where she needed to be, when she needed to be there.  Bill and Mar headed home afterwards, and I stayed to cheer on Shi.  A full day at that same lovely pool mentioned back here.

Mar took 3 seconds off her 50 Free, and stayed within nanoseconds of her 50 Breast time.

Nice job, Mar!

Shilo improved her times in all three events she competed in, placing 8th overall in her 50 Back, and scoring team points in the other two (50 Free and 200 Back).  She and I were both impressed at this accomplishment -- I'm not sure if she has ever been in the point-scoring category on the club team before -- especially since also attending the meet were the Colorado Stars (Missy Franklin's team, which has become the elite team around these parts) and DSA (Denver Swim Academy), both of which are known for their FAST times.

(I still can't believe that people want to walk in front of your camera when you are literally next to the edge of a pool OBVIOUSLY filming.)

Way to go, Shi!


And my house was repainted the actual color I chose a year-and-a-half ago (you can read the long story here).

Instead of this color (no wonder I had anxiety about it... refresher here),

Good-bye Snapping Turtle

it is now this color:

Hello, Grass Clippings

It wasn't the best time of day to take a pic, with the sun going down on me, but you can see it, right?  The difference?  Ahhhhhh.... so much better.

It's so much nicer to focus on the successes than the disappointments.

Working on staying sunny side up,

Run, Run, As Fast As You Can...

I only have a few minutes this morning before I head off to my sub job.  I quickly glanced over my blogger reading list and found a link to this awesome post:

Run, Little Red Riding Hood!

I wish I could write as well.  I wish I could think as well.  Thank heaven for people who have great thoughts and great skill that can benefit and inspire me and my family.

It reminded me of another story that my Grandma used to read to me called The Gingerbread Man.

It had a sly fox in it.

It brings this scripture to mind:

"And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say:  All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well -- and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.

"And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them:  I am no devil, for there is none -- and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance."

(2 Nephi 28:21-22)

Unfortunately, the Gingerbread Man trusted the sly fox, which was the end of him.
Hmmmm.... something to think about.

Election Day Stress

I'm trying to keep busy today to alleviate my Election Day stress.  I watched the news only briefly this morning, then figured it would be best to turn it off.  The added adrenaline is helping me be more productive and efficient.  At least that's what I'm telling myself.  That I'm more productive and efficient.

I sent emails that needed to be sent.

I scheduled appointments that needed to be scheduled.

I put away things that needed putting away (there's still more to do, but I did some of the tedious stuff).

I took the garbage out.

I posted two recipes (not necessarily new) on my family recipe blog Eating It Up.  

(I made my banana muffins yesterday using coconut oil instead of butter.  They turned out delish, and so much better for you.  Try it, you'll like it!)

I slept in until 7am, and had a nice long morning of peace and quiet (in which to accomplish all of the above), since the kids are out of school today.  I woke them up at 10.

I have watched this preview of Les Miserables THREE times.

I can't wait.

I am now heading off to the kitchen to straighten up and prepare for my new refrigerator to arrive.

Oh.  You didn't know?

Our not-so-beloved nearly-departed fridge has decided that, after 13-or-so years of partially freezing anything on the top shelf (even with the thermostat set at the warmest setting), and sucking up plenty of electricity doing it, it is sick and tired of keeping things cold.  I realized it when I put meat in to defrost (which typically takes several days) and it was soft and only slightly cool to the touch the next day.

Lest you think I am replacing it with the refrigerator of my dreams, I must say I am slightly anxious to see how serious the "A-" grade scratch is on the front of the "sufficient" appliance we have purchased (sight unseen).  I hope I can live with it, because I can't live many more days without a refrigerator that serves it's purpose.

The salesperson's comment:  "You can always put a magnet over it."

My thought:  "Unless it's 3/4 of the way down the door... who puts magnets down there?"
Maybe I can find a creative solution on Pinterest.


I was going to post a picture of my newly-painted house, but it's garbage day and you do not need to see my trash.
I have so much to say about it.
Maybe tomorrow.

Go Mitt!

Halloween Wrap Up

If you're like me, once Halloween is over, it's OVER.  Unfortunately, I haven't had time to properly record (in a non-traditional-journal-keeping-kind-of-way) and wrap up the festivities around here.  So here it is.  If you've already moved on, by all means move on.

Mar wanted to be a zombie this year.  Thanks to Pinterest (obviously my ONLY source of creativity these days), I convinced her to be a.... zombie-inspired... creepy girl??  She wanted a big, full skirt, and thanks to wedding supplies purchased earlier in the year, I had a boatload of tulle.  Her original idea was to wear the same dress she wore back here (with the big tulle skirt underneath), but we lent it to someone and couldn't remember who.  After texting and asking a half-dozen of our "best guesses," we moved on to Plan B.

This was Mar as she headed out to the ward Trunk-or-Treat Autumn Fest.

Caitlin, Lauren, and Mar... all creepish.

The pie-eating contest was a hit.

See many adults dressed up?  Me neither.

Bill and I were slightly overdressed.  (Thought you might appreciate the full-body shot.)

Trunk decked out and ready to go (my battery-powered eye lights that I purchased at 75% off after Halloween last year NOT knowing they were battery powered came in handy for a quick decor job).

Halloween Night: the gang of trick-or-treaters.  

Having to get only one child ready is so much simpler, although we were still rushing at the last minute to get Mar's make-up and hair done.  We cut a few corners, but she was ultimately satisfied in the end.  And out in plenty of time to make a respectable haul.

The pups had costumes, too.  Bill took them on a short walk as he escorted Mar and her group around the neighborhood.  He dropped them off at home after a bit, and they were content to nap in the play yard.  Personally, I think they liked looking more like people.

I don't have pics at the moment (Lex has them all on her phone), but will post one of them here as soon as I get one.  Be sure to check back, you don't want to miss it!

The weather was perfect.  Bill and Mar returned with a stash, and Mar was kind enough to share will the fam.  Such a nice girl.  I think Baby Ruth's are my favorite this year.

Being the only candy collector in the family, she had some high expectations.

She delivered.

Oh Yes We Did.

Bill and I dressed up this year for our ward's "Autumn Fest" (aka Trunk-or-Treat).  I think it's a requirement of the bishop (somewhere in the handbook).

 I was channeling a "mature" Deb from Napoleon Dynamite.

Bill... hmmm... not sure.  But he makes a great nerd, don't ya think?

I felt blessed to find this awesome home-sewn yellow polyester pantsuit at Goodwill the day of the party at 50% off.  Heaven was smiling on me.

We joined the, um, 5% of adults who dressed up for the event.  I certainly stood out from the crowd.  I'm not the sort who likes a lot of attention, so most of the evening was awkwardly uncomfortable.  Some of the Primary kids thought I was quite interesting.  I told them I could come to church the next day in the same outfit, thinking they would catch the tease.  Nope.  A lot of kids were disappointed when I walked into Primary in my normal Sunday apparel and make-up.

More to come.  Happy Halloween!

Pismo

It's hard to believe that two weeks ago tomorrow we headed off to the sun and surf of Pismo Beach. (It's been a long couple of weeks!) We made a couple of stops along the way (searching for rennet for homemade cheese - which we DID make - a post for another day), but eventually made it to Pismo by lunchtime to eat and relax on the shores of the great Pacific Ocean.

We ate lunch at Splash Cafe.  Yum.  I am not a clam chowder lover, but I could eat that clam chowder anytime.

Jill said the clam chowder was unusually cool (still yum-o), and the beach was unusually hot.  The ocean: cold, of course.  That didn't stop the girls from spending the entire day in it.  The waves were bigger than we've seen them before, and the boogie boarding must have been a blast, because we didn't see much of them during the 4-or-so hours we were there.

My niece, Rach, hung out with us in the shade (too hot for us olderish-ladies-not-in-swimwear out in the blaring sun) doing homework for a couple of hours.  (It was a hike to the water... good for us but not necessarily good for keeping track of girls.)  The beach was pleasantly uncrowded, and when a group of young adults moved into the volleyball net just to the left of us, they were well mannered, modestly-covered (all in knee-length shorts and most in shirts with sleeves), and there was nary a potty-mouth among them.  The perfect beach ambience.

(Sorry, Lex... I needed a picture of you!!)

We snagged some In-n-Out and had hearty political discussion as we listened to the 2nd Presidential debate on the way home.

A HUGE thank you to Jill and her girls for skipping out of their busy schedules to take us!  

It was an awesome day.