![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
I forgot to mention: laying sod is back breaking work. The rolls are heavy and you have to remain stooped for some time to wrestle the grass into place so that there are no visible seems. Oh and we were laying the sod in a downpour of hail that stung the face and froze the fingers. The topsoil turned into quicksand. The sky opened up into a beautiful sunny day the minute we were done. Ironic. I can barely move today, so I am doubly thankful for all the volunteers who helped. And we are all crossing fingers that the soil dries up a bit as to avoid drowning the grass, and the grass lives through the next several weeks to root before any lasting freezes. But I still highly recommend SOD. It rocks. Sod is awesome.
November 14th, 2009
You have to love the magic of SOD. To take a muddy chunk of ugly land and turn it into something beautifully green in just hours is like having magic in your finger and snapping to make something appear out of nothing. So cool. Before my eyes I went from having no playground to having a lush green one. Oh and a shout out to my husband and mom for volunteering to help lay the sod. A two day job turned into 2 hours. I have great family members. Now for fencing, sand and a climber of two. Sweet.
August 16th, 2009
On a side note, we (Chris, Elizabeth and I) went into town yesterday to see Julie and Julia. If you consider yourself a bit of a foodie, or even if you don't this was a very cute, sweet movie. I enjoyed it very much. Meryl Streep (who I must admit is nearly my favorite actress, coming in second only to Katharine Hepburn so I may be a bit prejudiced here) did a spot-on job of capturing the essence of Julia Child. The humor was charmingly funny, the food to die for yummy looking, and the retro 50's clothes inspired me to go out and buy a new dress and pearls (fake of course). I just wanted to go home, and debone a duck or make Beouf Bourgogne. Great date movie, great "I just want a lite, cheerful movie." You could see it on netflix or in the theater. But see it. I loved it.
and...
Last weekend we (Chris and I on a date) went to see The Hangover. Gut-wrenchingly funny in that "Oh so not appropriate but can't help myself from laughing anyway" way. I laughed through the whole thing. Don't go see this if you are very religious, a prude, can't enjoy politically incorrect humor, over 65 or a woman engaged and about to be married. But if you aren't one of those people go and laugh your @ss off. Again same as Julie and Julia, you could see it on Netflix or in the theater, but see it. If you have any sense of humor at all you won't be disappointed.
That's all for now...
amusedJuly 14th, 2009
Here are the photo's of Katie's little dress I made from the left overs from my AT War hawaiian apron for the 4th of July. I think it turned out quite cute.
July 3rd, 2009
So we got Dexter our new golden retriever puppy almost four weeks ago now. He's a great puppy. Cute, well behaved, cuddly. But the one issue we've had is that he came to us at 4 mos of age not potty trained. We've done everything in an effort to help him understand that potty goes outside, not inside. But he hasn't gotten the idea that when he goes outside it's potty time. He goes out and gets distracted, wants to play, and stands right next to me. Then we come in and he pees. Ugh. He has done great in the night. And he seems to understand that poop goes outside. And usually he goes outside. It's just the now and again, like once a day.
So my question is: how long did it take your puppy to become fully potty trained? What did you do that was very helpful? Do you have any tricks? Am I expecting too much of him to quickly?
So my question is: how long did it take your puppy to become fully potty trained? What did you do that was very helpful? Do you have any tricks? Am I expecting too much of him to quickly?
June 9th, 2009
June 6th, 2009
Here is Luke, an english creme retriever born on February 12th. We are communicating with the breeders, and may have him home with us by the end of the week. After a long year of grieving Odin's passing I think it's time to give our love to someone new. What do you all think?
Luke is his given name by the breeder. We think we want to change it because all I can think of is Luke skywalker. We are thinking about Logen, Brinkley, Baxter. Anyone have any other name suggestions?
chipperJanuary 28th, 2009
surprisedJanuary 27th, 2009
What's Your Medieval Profession?
| You Are an Astrologer |
 You are always trying to figure out how all the pieces of the world are connected. You have a knack for predicting the future and reading people. In modern times, you would make a good self help guru or a director of a non profit. |
December 24th, 2008
O come all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant;
O come ye, o come ye
To Kristine.
O Come All Ye Faithful
from the Christmas Song Generator.
October 5th, 2008
Just a couple of things on my mind that I need to vent about:
1. I am really, really sad about yesterdays hard rain. for the first time since we planted our italian plum tree 4 years ago we had a bumper crop. So many that I gave away a whole cooler full of them to some friends. I left the other half of the plums on the tree until I had a weekend when I could actually do something with them. This was the weekend. I went out today to pick, and they were all on the ground from the hard rain. I have no plums to show for the bumper crop. Boooooooooo. No plum cobbler, no pie, no jam. Nothing.
2. Work sucks ass. That is all I have to say about it. If the economy was better I'd risk quitting.
3. The economic crap right now sucks ass too. I've lost tons in my 401K, and may never retire. Republican economic management and deregulation sucks, and greedy bankers suck too. And don't get me started on deficit spending.
4. Sarah Palin gives women everywhere a bad name. The massage is "if I'm charming enough no one will notice how sarcastic and unknowlegable I am, and forget about all the crap I pulled in Alaska, like chasing pork funding for a bridge to nowhere, and trying to get my ex-brother-in-law fired through threats and blackmail, and making rape victims pay for their own rape kit." You can't tell me there wasn't one other republican woman politician who would have been more qualified than Palin. All she is is a pretty weather girl who says what ever the goofy looking meteorologist tells her to say.
5. We are now paying $600 a month for tutoring for Katherine, because she is falling behind in school. Sylvan has a guarantee to have her caught up within a year. Too bad public schools don't also carry guarantee's. Maybe we wouldn't be spending $600 a month. Did I mention that Katherine is in a classroom with 29 kids in it? So where are my tax dollars going? Not the classroom.
That's all. I'll try to post some positive stuff in a while, after I've had some chocolate maybe.
1. I am really, really sad about yesterdays hard rain. for the first time since we planted our italian plum tree 4 years ago we had a bumper crop. So many that I gave away a whole cooler full of them to some friends. I left the other half of the plums on the tree until I had a weekend when I could actually do something with them. This was the weekend. I went out today to pick, and they were all on the ground from the hard rain. I have no plums to show for the bumper crop. Boooooooooo. No plum cobbler, no pie, no jam. Nothing.
2. Work sucks ass. That is all I have to say about it. If the economy was better I'd risk quitting.
3. The economic crap right now sucks ass too. I've lost tons in my 401K, and may never retire. Republican economic management and deregulation sucks, and greedy bankers suck too. And don't get me started on deficit spending.
4. Sarah Palin gives women everywhere a bad name. The massage is "if I'm charming enough no one will notice how sarcastic and unknowlegable I am, and forget about all the crap I pulled in Alaska, like chasing pork funding for a bridge to nowhere, and trying to get my ex-brother-in-law fired through threats and blackmail, and making rape victims pay for their own rape kit." You can't tell me there wasn't one other republican woman politician who would have been more qualified than Palin. All she is is a pretty weather girl who says what ever the goofy looking meteorologist tells her to say.
5. We are now paying $600 a month for tutoring for Katherine, because she is falling behind in school. Sylvan has a guarantee to have her caught up within a year. Too bad public schools don't also carry guarantee's. Maybe we wouldn't be spending $600 a month. Did I mention that Katherine is in a classroom with 29 kids in it? So where are my tax dollars going? Not the classroom.
That's all. I'll try to post some positive stuff in a while, after I've had some chocolate maybe.
grumpySeptember 21st, 2008
August 15th, 2008
This afternoon I went in to see the Opthumologist(sp) to have all the skin tags removed from around my right eye, one of which was quite large and interfering with my vision. To do this he had to inject a numbing agent, cut the tag off and then cauterize the root vessel. The numbing went well until the three that were right on the lash line of my eye. With those two I wanted to scream and hit the doctor. And the large tag took so long to cauterize that the numbing wore off in the three on the lash line and had to be re-numbed. OMG! Now I'm home with a swollen black eye, with 10 burns around it. And I just started a new diet with Chris, so I can't have any chocolate or something to drink. Argh!
August 8th, 2008
We checked into our hotel here in Vancouver Washington for our Portland/Mt. Hood vacation. This is a very nice hotel. Rustic but new and with great ammenities, like temperpedic matresses, two person showers, balcony. here is the website so you can see for yourself. They are even having wine tasting down in the lobby. NICE!
http://travel.hotels-and-discounts.com/i
http://travel.hotels-and-discounts.com/i
July 26th, 2008
Your result for The Steampunk Style Test...
The Explorer
You are the Explorer, the embodiment of steampunk’s adventuring spirit. For you, clothing should be rugged and reliable, and just as functional as it is attractive. You probably prefer khaki or leather, and your accessories are as likely to include weapons as technological gizmos. You probably wear boots and gloves, and maybe a pith helmet. Most of what you wear is functional, and if you happen to wear goggles people had better believe that you use them. In addition to Victorian exploration gear, your outfit probably includes little knickknacks from your various travels. Above all, you are a charming blend of rugged Victorian daring and exotic curiosity.
Try our other Steampunk test here.
July 16th, 2008
Your result for Which Chess Piece are You Test?...
The Rook's Citizen
The Rook’s Citizen is the guardian of birthdays, holidays and celebrations. They are generous hosts. They observe joyfully the traditions and are very liberal in giving when custom suits. Don’t be fooled by the pleasantry – they enjoy running the show. They are astute in seeing problems and aren’t afraid of delegation. They work hard and play with zest. They provide service and expect others to contribute.
The Citizen is wounded easily because their hearts are on their sleeves. They have a strong sense of right and wrong but are torn between that and the overwhelming need to rescue others. This can result in a swift action – often as motherly reprimand. As a caretaker the Citizen is vigilant. The world can be seen as a hostile place, one that cannot be trusted. They serve as great protectors and are perfect for the nurturing of young in education.
The Rook's Citizen prefers living with a focus on the world around them. They take in values via the five senses in a most literal and concrete fashion. They work hard and with efficiency. They maintain great relationships because of their cooperative natures. They will keep everyone informed and attempt to reach decisions through consensus. This is another ‘Pawn’ that is needed for their providing natures foundations of society. They bring the best out in others because they value everyone’s input and needs. They are the pleasant type and make others feel good about themselves. They will find it hard to accept flaws in others because they are the kindest and most giving of individuals.
June 30th, 2008
Bold those you have read.
Italicize those you intend to read.
Underline the books you LOVE.
Strike out the books you have no intention of ever reading.
Reprint this list in your own LJ so we can try and track down these people who’ve read six and force books upon them …
1 Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings – JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter Series – JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four – George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials Trilogy – Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
11 Little Women – Louisa May Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 – Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit – JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong – Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye – JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With the Wind – Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby – F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House – Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited – Evelyne Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Graeme
31 Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield – Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia – CS Lewis
34 Emma – Jane Austen
35 Persuasion – Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – C.S. Lewis
37 The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
38 Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh – A.A. Milne
41 Animal Farm – George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney – John Irving
45 The Woman in White – Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables – L M Montgomery
47 Far From the Maddening Crowd – Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies – William Golding
50 Atonement – Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi – Yann Martel
52 Dune – Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm – Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth (I've started this one about five times through the years...)
56 The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time – Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time of Cholera – Garbiel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck
62 Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History – Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas
66 On the Road – Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure – Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’ Diary – Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick – Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens
72 Dracula – Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes from a Small Island – Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses – James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons – Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal – Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair – William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - A S Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple – Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web – EB White
88 The Five People You Meet in Heaven – Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection – Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince – Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory – Iain Banks
94 Watership Down – Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice – Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet – William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables – Victor Hugo
Italicize those you intend to read.
Underline the books you LOVE.
Strike out the books you have no intention of ever reading.
Reprint this list in your own LJ so we can try and track down these people who’ve read six and force books upon them …
1 Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings – JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter Series – JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four – George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials Trilogy – Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
11 Little Women – Louisa May Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 – Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit – JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong – Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye – JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With the Wind – Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby – F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House – Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited – Evelyne Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Graeme
31 Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield – Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia – CS Lewis
34 Emma – Jane Austen
35 Persuasion – Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – C.S. Lewis
37 The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
38 Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh – A.A. Milne
41 Animal Farm – George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney – John Irving
45 The Woman in White – Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables – L M Montgomery
47 Far From the Maddening Crowd – Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies – William Golding
50 Atonement – Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi – Yann Martel
52 Dune – Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm – Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth (I've started this one about five times through the years...)
56 The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time – Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time of Cholera – Garbiel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck
62 Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History – Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas
66 On the Road – Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure – Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’ Diary – Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick – Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens
72 Dracula – Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes from a Small Island – Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses – James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons – Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal – Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair – William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - A S Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple – Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web – EB White
88 The Five People You Meet in Heaven – Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection – Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince – Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory – Iain Banks
94 Watership Down – Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice – Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet – William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables – Victor Hugo
June 9th, 2008
June 2nd, 2008
| In the dark ages, how would ase knarrarbringa die? |
| You would die on the battlefield, defending the country that taxed you and exploited your labour for the luxury of the nobility. Oh boy! |
| 'How would you die in the dark ages?' at QuizGalaxy.com |
May 13th, 2008
TECHNOLOGY:
Q. What is your wallpaper on your computer? a rotating picture set of the kids, chris, my mom and my bro.
Q. How many televisions do you have in your house? ashamed to say 3
BIOLOGY:
Q. Are you right-handed or left-handed? Right all the way, left retarded if you must know.
Q. Have you ever had anything removed from your body? babies, and a few other things I'd rather not say.
Q. What is the last heavy item you lifted? kid
Q. Have you ever been knocked out? nope, but I've fainted.
BULLSHITOLOGY:
Q. If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? Never ever.
Q. If you could change your name, what would you change it to? Angelina Jolie, if I can have her bod too.
Q. What color do you think looks best on you? green or red.
Q. Have you ever swallowed a non-food item? Duh, of course.
DAREOLOGY:
Q. Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $100? Sure. a kiss is a kiss. it's not sex after all.
Q. Would you allow one of your little fingers to be cut off for $200,000? I don't think so.
Q. Would you never blog again for $50,000? totally.
Q. Would you pose naked in a magazine for $250,000? I might, but no one really wants me to do that. Really.
Q. Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? Duh.
Q. Would you, without fear of punishment, take a human life for $1,000,000? Never ever, for any reason, other than to save the life of myself or family.
DUMBOLOGY:
Q: What is in your left pocket? nu'in honey.
Q: Is Napoleon Dynamite actually a good movie? too funny.
Q: Do you have hardwood or carpet in your house? both but mostly hard wood
Q: Do you sit or stand in the shower? stand
Q: How many pairs of flip flops do you own? too many to count. I usually buy one pair in every color.
LASTOLOGY:
Q: Last person who texted you? I don't text
Q: Last person who called you? my honey.
Q: Last person you hugged? my daughter.
Q. What is your wallpaper on your computer? a rotating picture set of the kids, chris, my mom and my bro.
Q. How many televisions do you have in your house? ashamed to say 3
BIOLOGY:
Q. Are you right-handed or left-handed? Right all the way, left retarded if you must know.
Q. Have you ever had anything removed from your body? babies, and a few other things I'd rather not say.
Q. What is the last heavy item you lifted? kid
Q. Have you ever been knocked out? nope, but I've fainted.
BULLSHITOLOGY:
Q. If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? Never ever.
Q. If you could change your name, what would you change it to? Angelina Jolie, if I can have her bod too.
Q. What color do you think looks best on you? green or red.
Q. Have you ever swallowed a non-food item? Duh, of course.
DAREOLOGY:
Q. Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $100? Sure. a kiss is a kiss. it's not sex after all.
Q. Would you allow one of your little fingers to be cut off for $200,000? I don't think so.
Q. Would you never blog again for $50,000? totally.
Q. Would you pose naked in a magazine for $250,000? I might, but no one really wants me to do that. Really.
Q. Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? Duh.
Q. Would you, without fear of punishment, take a human life for $1,000,000? Never ever, for any reason, other than to save the life of myself or family.
DUMBOLOGY:
Q: What is in your left pocket? nu'in honey.
Q: Is Napoleon Dynamite actually a good movie? too funny.
Q: Do you have hardwood or carpet in your house? both but mostly hard wood
Q: Do you sit or stand in the shower? stand
Q: How many pairs of flip flops do you own? too many to count. I usually buy one pair in every color.
LASTOLOGY:
Q: Last person who texted you? I don't text
Q: Last person who called you? my honey.
Q: Last person you hugged? my daughter.
cold