quinton

"there is nothing more terrifying than your old man telling you to get your report card and get in the car."

"berry" thrifty cool.

let's make some lovely christmas decorations shall we? and let's make them for mere pennies.
i bought some sparkling berry picks for 64 cents each on sale at Michael's. then i totally destroyed the berry picks. sounds wierd, but it's effective. TIP: you can make one berry pick or one bunch of flowers or one garland go a long way, just by deconstructing it. you can then reuse the individual flower, berry or leaf by using floral tape and wire. like this:









the first pick of golden sparkly leaves cost me 64 cents. which is pretty cheep, but i needed like 12 of them for my tree. well that's still only gonna cost me less than 12$. what's the big deal right? by taking the pick apart and rewiring them, i decorated my whole tree for 64 cents. i saved about 10$. in this economy... kinda big deal.



back to the berries. i had a 1/2 stryofoam ball that i got with my coupon for about a dollar. deconstructed berries, plug them snuggly in the styrofoam, and .......


i have a delicious looking decoration for my apothecary pedestal thingy....for $1.64. now that's delicious!

oh the possibilities!

tooth fairy potato

the tooth fairy who visits our house is a little......different. but she has a sweet generous spirit. my little lady lost her first tooth, it seems like she's been waiting her whole life for this milestone to come. she faced it with bravery and fortitude and pulled out the little white remnant of babyhood all by herself. no screaming/crying involved. according to custom, she put the tooth under the pillow and also according to custom....the tooth fairy left her lots of change stuck neatly in a potato. who knows why our tooth fairy does things this way? perhaps to prevent change from getting lost in fluffy pillows and blankets? or perhaps she just wants you to have hashbrowns for breakfast as an added bonus? we may never know, but we love our loony tooth fairy!

10 things

1. sandra dallas is my new favorite author. i read persian pickle club years ago, but haven't read anything by her for years. just finished "whiter than snow" and "the diary of mattie spenser" and had my annual good cry.
2. my favorite shlumpadinkas (translation: relaxing yoga/sweat pants) are holey and i am in need of attractive new ones. i'm thinkin' these or maybe these? hmmm. suggestions? please?
3. survivor is as good as season 1. jim is a bully, dawn is THE woman, and cochran is growing on me for stickin' it too the pretty people. i used to think brandon was a creepy wierdo, but his "protector" role over the vurnerable cochran had me doing the silent cheer.
4. i miss michael scott.
5. i ran over a cat. and it made me sad.
6. in related news, i really like driving fast on the narrow curvy road i live on. it's fun. but it has it's consequences.
7. i miss alaska, the blue mountains, and all my friends from both places. but coalville is a great little place, with lots of great people. i am happy here.
8.veterans day is my favorite. north summit elementary put on a wonderful assembly. the kids sang and there were old men in uniform. love a man in uniform. patriotism makes me cry these days. i have known men who have died in this war. my friend trish is now a single mom her husband was killed in february, and a high school friend recently died in a helicopter full of navy seals in afghanistan. i cannot have dry eyes when little kids are singing the national anthem. i am turned back in time to when mike came off that plane. soldiers rock. especially mine.
when i lived on base in alaska it was impossible to enter a building with out a soldier sprinting to open it for you. even at the gas station. every night at 5:00 they would play revelry over the loud speakers as they lowered the flag, and if you were outside you'd stop what you were doing and put your hand on your heart and wait for the song to end. even the little kids running around the neighborhood new what to do. we live in the best place on earth, guarded by the best people in america.
9. for the first time in 10 years, i get to have thanksgiving with my parents and my sister.
10. pinterest. you must try pinterest. it is a place to categorize and save every cool idea you can think of. i have learned how to get rid of armpit stains, make a lamp out of old books, and fix my hair in a lovely, messy, up do. so go. go on. go now. get outta here, and pin something.

happy halloween!!

a pink witch....just like this halloween. (although avery claims her costume is "a teenager.")
a zombie...who prefers to feast on little old ladies.
the cutest skeleton ever. who had to pee at the first trick or treat house we went to. bless you lady who let us use your very clean bathroom and who didn't know us from adam.
a little old lady. watch out for zombies!!!

spongebob squarepants.

recently i stumbled upon a "study" that made me think. it seems that watching sponge bob for just 9 minutes makes you dumber. there are hundreds of "studies" going on all the time. among the findings of such important "studies" are as follows: too many carrots can make your skin turn orange (anyone whose fed a 5 month old his first bottle of carrots can tell you that) but carrots also single handedly improve eye sight. to much vinegar from pickles can cause cancer, ( as does using dark brown hair dye vs. blond hair dye) but eating pickles as a snack reduces caloric intake and everyone knows brunettes have more fun. these "studies" it seems are endless in their scope and schizophrenic in their results. oh and viagra can also raise the dead. (ha ha i made that one up)
i've watched sponge bob many times with my kids. my favorite is the one where sponge bob relishes in the sound of pickles being rubbed together. squeaky squeak. or the one where spongebob runs into a girl that looks just like him and mr. crabs says "who is that?" and sponge bob says, " i don't know but she is UGGlyyyy!" it's one of those shows you watch and when it's over you think about it and chuckle and then you tell your friend the funny parts and laugh again. it stays on the brain. the phenomenon of thinking about movies or tv long after the credits roll is not a new one to me. all i could focus on for days after seeing "pride and predjudice" (kiera knightly version) was how to get mike to walk towards me at sunrise in some riding boots. or after i watch the last episode of "lost" i wondered how something so mysterious and wonderful could turn into such a big blah cliche.
i am disturbed by natl geographics "border wars" (how do we help the immigrants who work hard and at the same time, keep those cartel bums out?) i am mesmerized by the creative powers on "project runway" and "top chef" (can you really make pork belly and chocolate into a delicious entree) and i still can't wait to see what jim does to dwight every thursday night on "the office"
so i totally get how the scientists could come to the conclusion that spongebob makes you dumber. what kid is going to focus on math when hilarious undersea hijinks are on the brain? i think a more accurate study would also deduce that the dumbing down is not incremental or permanent. which i think means you are not actually dumber, just other wise engaged. and probably much more optimistic. (one day mike will wear riding boots at dawn)
i wonder what the process is for these scientists to come up with new "studies". maybe they were watching reruns of "pysch" and got a little distracted when they thought up the all important spongebob "study."

while we were away.....