Tuesday: surprise!!

Surprise! We made it home safely.

Oh, that's not really a surprise? Let's try again...

Surprise! We're in the middle of buying a car.

Yeah, that works better.

It's a 2003 Corolla with a gazillion miles, but is still working fine and we got a nice deal on it. Getting it from Michigan to NY is slightly complicated, but Ben's wonderful brother is trading cars with us until he drives out here next time.

Monday: the meeting spot

for lunch today I went to The Good Earth with Dad. Apparently it was the place to be...I saw my cousin (who didn't recognize me at first because it's been many, many years), an old teacher, and an old friend.

The rest of the day was pretty relaxing.

Sunday: fun with family

This afternoon we played Hand and Foot with Ben's grandparents. We're claiming that they won all four hands of the first game because they didn't tell us about the changed rules until we started. However, we beat them all four hands the second game, so it came out evenly.




then we went over to Jamie's for pizza. Afterwards we played some Rockband and then Ben, Cheryl, and Jacob put together a knex roller coaster. It turned out pretty cool.

Saturday: Thanksgiving 2

This afternoon we saw some of Pat's kids for a while. It was fun to watch the little kids run around.




Then I took a nap. I thought about using the giant blue gerbil blanket (yes, that's an inside joke) but ended up with a red fleece blanket with a white hole-y crocheted one on top. It looked like snowflakes and the colors reminded me of Christmas.

Then on to Thanksgiving 2. The food was delicious. I ate way too much. and then there was a cherry pie that I couldn't resist. oh, it was delicious. Just the right amount of tart and tangy. It was also fun to see all the family...I think it's been a few years since I've seen a lot of them, so it was fun to catch up.

Friday: Ben's birthday in pictures

We saw our first snow.



We met some friends and their daughter



We went to a Japanese steakhouse for dinner. It was delicious.






Then to a home for presents and cheesecake.

Thursday: Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! Sometimes I find that in the bussle of the holiday and the other things going on in life that it's easy to forget to take some time to reflect on all the blessings that God has given us. But when I take a look at everything, I realize how really blessed I am.

I only took three pictures today, so here they all are, even though they aren't all very good. I also took good movie,but it needs some editing first.

Wednesday: my day

very early in the am, Ben is getting ready for bed and Amanda has been asleep
Amanda: Ben, there are some things that I really need to remember!
Ben walks out of the bathroom
Amanda: oh, maybe it was a dream. Was it? Yeah, I think so.
Amanda goes back to sleep. Fast forward 30 minutes. Ben is still awake
Amanda: Ben, it is really important that I remember this!!
Ben: What do you need to remember?
Amanda: Something something camera and something to say.
Ben: Flurry can say it.
Amanda: Flurry can't really talk. We just pretend that she can.

Amanda goes to work.
Guy Amanda works with: Hey Amanda, do you have a twin?
Amanda: no, why?
GAWW: I was jamming with this guy last night and he looked exactly like you. I couldn't stop staring.
Amanda: haha.

Amanda leaves work. yay

As we're leaving in a rush, not really late but trying to be early because of the busy travel day, we wonder were Flurry is. Usually she tries to get in our way and convince us to stay.

We found her looking cute under the Christmas tree (and not eating the tree), showing us once again how cute she is. I have a picture but can't get it on here.

We try going to the library. It's closed. It's one of the problems living in a small town...the library has weird hours. We continue on our way. Ben's glasses' lens falls out at the stop light. Surprise. We make a quick detour to the optometrist (who is open) and Ben gets his glasses fixed in three minutes.

We make it to the airport, not really know what to expect. The security line was closed. Oh. It opens about 15 minutes later and we get in line. We were about number 10 and 11 in line. Twenty minutes later we're finally going through security. I don't know why it was so slow. there weren't any of the new scanners and no one seemed to be causing any trouble, but they could not move the people through.

Shortly after we hear the boarding announcement: "This is the final and immediate boarding call". It was rather surprising as there wasn't a first and non-immediate boarding call.

the plane made my toes really cold. and then my toes got as cold as they could so my legs started getting cold. well, maybe not as cold as possible but almost.

And now we're waiting for our connection and because there are only so many things to do in the airport you heard an almost complete accounting of my day.

Tuesday: potluck

Tonight we had a potluck with Bible Study. I'll admit, they tend to be some of my favorite nights. It's nice to get caught up with people again. We also played this fun game that involved finding things on a screen. It sounds rather dumb, but it actually worked out pretty well. :)

I'm rather tired tonight, but glad that tomorrow is a shorter day of work.

Monday: Kingdom of Loathing

Ben and I started playing Kingdom of Loathing (again). It's probably about the third time that we've started, but I also think it's the longest I've played it. One of the fun parts of it is the text that comes with the mobs. The other is that everything has a real-life reference. Below are some of the things I've fought in the last few days.

This is a play on Hello Kitty, the famous cat character created by the Japanese company Sanrio. "Iiti" is the ancient Egyptian word for "hello", making this an ancient Egyptian mummified version of Kitty, hence the mention of merchandise with her face on it.

The second part of the use message is a reference to the environmentalist cartoon Captain Planet and the Planeteers.

• haxx0r = hack or hacker
• 1337 = 'Leet' (as in an elite hacker)

PS: Should you consider playing the game there are two things to consider. 1) It's free and 2) the on-line wiki is a must use

Sunday: don't jump

Saturday: bags and decor

The inagural use of the home-made dice bag was today. Ben isn't back yet though, so I don't know if it really worked. I'd be surprised if it didn't.

Hanneke and I put up the Christmas decorations. I wanted to get them up this weekend, but will try to not actually turn the lights on again until after Thanksgiving. We'll see how that goes. We also reminisced late into the night, partly on how long ago high school was. It's weird that it's already been ten years. I also expect that if I met the people now, in a different context from high school, I'd get along with all of them rather well. It's an odd realization.

Friday: hi

It's Friday! I woke up this morning excited that tomorrow I didn't have to wake up to an alarm. I was also a little cold this morning because Flurry had brought the covers down just slightly so the tops of my shoulders were outside the blankets. I kept trying to get warm by snuggling with Ben, but it didn't work very well.

My new quilt is getting it's pieces cut quickly! I'm also doing some fixing on the old quilt at the same time, but that just isn't as much fun. I'm still doing a little bit every day though, and making progress.

Thursday: five question Friday

1. What Christmas song do you loathe?

I'm not sure. I looked through a few Christmas list songs and didn't really see any that just made me gag. But some of the cutesy-secular songs are pretty high up on the list.

2. Do you and your significant other cuddle at night or sleep on opposite sides of the bed?

It depends a lot on the temperature. When it is hot out we're on opposite sides of the bed. When it isn't hot out we usually cuddle.

3. Have you ever had surgery?

I've had a mole removed. And a colonoscopy which isn't really a surgery but is the closest thing that I've had.

4. When do you typically have your holiday shopping done?

The last few years we've been getting most of the stuff on-line. So we need to finish soon enough to ensure that the packages will get to the house in time (about two weeks before Christmas). We often end up sending the packages to my Dad's house directly to give us a few extra days lee-way.

5. How much sleep do you get a night?

I go to sleep between 11pm and midnight and get up at 7:19 (after the alarm has gone off once). So that's 7-8 hours. On the weekends I usually get more sleep and take a few naps, so I think that my body needs closer to 8-9 hours of sleep a day. Which is rather sad when you start doing the math of how much I sleep vs. how much I'm awake.

Wednesday: What are the perforated parts on hanging file tags for?

At work I keep prints in hanging file folders. I don't really like hanging file folders, mainly because of the tabs. It feels like so much work whenever you need to add a tab or change a tab. But that is really besides the point today. Today I'm curious as to way all hanging file folder tags have that perforated part. You know, the part that folds over but is too small to write on.

I've come up with a few ideas, but I think they're kind of dumb.

1) It is to help keep the tag in place by pushing outward against the plastic part. Most of the time though I think the plastic part is tight enough to keep a single layer held in place without any problems.

2) They are easier to push out of the plastic thing with a pen. But it ends up being so much effort to put a new one in the plastic part that you may as well take off the plastic part to get the paper part out.

3) They really aren't supposed to go in the plastic part, but should be removed completely. This still doesn't really answer my question as to why they are present in the first place.

So, I need your help! What are those little pieces for? Oh, and wikipedia (or google) don't have much about hanging file folders, let along what the extra tabs are for. I thought the internet knew everything!

Tuesday: Flurry's friend

I receive a care package from Dusty and Laura today. My favorite item in the box was a pair of cat socks that look like Flurry!

Monday: Trouble

Hanneke came over today! She was traveling through and our house happens to be about half way through her trip, which is rather convenient. We got into trouble and ended up in a jail cell with only bread and water, but we managed to bail ourselves out. We rewatched "IQ", one of my favorite movies, and played a game to finish out the night.

Sunday: friends

I love having friends. I did a lot with them this weekend, and it has reminded me how blessed I am to have such friends. I know that they will share my joys and cry with my sorrows and in between just have fun with me.

Then I reflected on ways God has blessed me, and it just blows me away:

*a refrigerator full of food

*amazing friends - both close by and far apart

*a great family

*a loving husband

Saturday: sewing

Tonight I got together with some friends to do some sewing. We got mediums levels of stuff accomplished, but it was a lot of fun to hang out.

Flurry was also enjoying sewing this morning. She likes a few different things, such as pawing the bobbins and trying to eat the thread.

Friday: puzzle night

Puzzle night tonight! It was by far the fastest puzzle we've ever put together. It was 750 pieces, but the three of us still finished it in about two hours. So we just played a few games and talked and had dessert to fill up the remainder of the evening.

Thursday: a house dream

Ben and I, living in the house I grew up in, noticed a water stain on the first floor ceiling. Oh bother. That's never a good sign. After a while we go upstairs to look for the problem. We still don't see it, so we check the attic.

Wow! Our attic is huge! And it is kind of shaped like a swimming pool; after going through the trap door we walked down an incline. The floor is nicely finished with wood planks. Interesting. We start exploring this part of the house that we didn't realize that we had.

Our attic leads into what appears to be a small town. People have taken up residence in our rooms that we didn't know we had. It was surprising. Pleasantly surprising.

We finally make it outside, and discover the cause of the leak. The whole roof is about to collapse. It is run-down and in terrible shape. How did we not notice that before?

Wednesday: oatmeal

I had oatmeal for lunch today. I also put some cranberries in it. And I put it in a mug, which works much better than a bowl because it is more compact.

The main reason I had oatmeal is that we don't have lunch meat in the house and I didn't feel like peanut butter. It is also very easy to put together in the morning.

Phew. Aren't you glad you know that about my day now? I guess it was kind of a slow day for interesting things to happen. Someone else fixed the WIPs though, so that was awesome.

Tuesday: Operations and hospitals

This evening for small group we went to Target and packed some boxes for Operation Christmas Child. It was fun. Our girl got some pens, colored pencils, paper, jewelery, a purse, socks, a hat, some gloves, and some candy. The boy got some matchbox cars, legos, a baseball, and candy. They also both got some hygiene items. It's always fun seeing what deals you can find (that are still small enough to fit in the box.)

Then I found out another friend is in the hospital from a car accident. :( She's not sure how bad it is yet, but she's been texting me a little bit so that's good.

Monday: the beginning of the week

Oh, I'm tired tonight. Sometimes I feel like I'm always tired. I'm not - but sometimes it just feels that way.

The days went pretty well today...and rather quickly which is always a plus.

Night.

Sunday: circles on squares

I bought my new fabric today. I still have some other things I need to finish first though.

This is the pattern. I doubt I'll be doing the stars though...I'm thinking either nothing or another little square instead.
Here's the fabric. While I love picking out fabric, Sunday near Christmas is the wrong time to be doing it.

Saturday: hello

Today was rather low key. I continued to work on getting the chore list finished, but with a three day weekend instead of a two day weekend it is much easier. I also did quite a bit of reading and made some future quilting decisions.

I also washed the first quilt I made. I was a little nervous about it because the workmanship isn't great. Also, I used a red pen to trace out the blocks in the beginning and didn't cut off all the red (although I tried), so I was a little afraid that it would stain through. Luckily though, at first glance it seems ok. It still needs some touch-up in a few places where the blocks are coming apart, but that happened before the washer.

Friday: outnumbered

Announcer: Amanda is telling Ben about her day.

Amanda: I sat down to eat my egg scramble for lunch and Flurry was being really funny! She kept sniffing the air like there was something really good smelling. After a while I found her up on the counter...

Announcer: There is a strict no-counter rule for Flurry. It's the only one that really gets enforced.

Amanda: ...and she didn't leap down when I stood up like she normally does. It was like she was searching for something. I wondered; could it be the mushrooms? I grabbed Flurry from the counter and a mushroom and she loved it!

Ben: gross

Announcer: Ben really hates mushrooms.

Amanda: Well, now we can have mushrooms on our pizza because it is two to one.

Ben: No, Flurry doesn't eat pizza so it doesn't count.

Amanda: That's just a technicality.

Thursday: great examples of exercise

Today there was a exercise room fair. There were all these feet up on the walls showing people where they were supposed to go. I was on my way to the exercise room and therefore following the feet when I noticed that the feet took the elevator instead of the stairs. Seriously??

Then once we got to the exercise room there was pie in front of it. While I know that people are more likely to come if there is free food, but it again seemed a little ridiculous that an exercise promotion was giving away unhealthy food.

Wednesday: 1000

1000.

It so often seems like a large number. 1000 minutes is 16 2/3 hours. $1000 is a lot of money if you're buying groceries. A 1000 piece puzzle takes several hours to put together. 1000 miles will put you about pretty far across the US.

But 1000 can also be rather small. 1000 seconds is only 16 2/3 minutes. $1000 is not a lot of money if you are buying a house in California. 1000 words is only about 2-3 pages.

Why this "obsession" with 1000? In a few months I'll have my 1000th blog post and I'm trying to think of something special. I haven't thought of anything "1000"ish because everything seemed too big or too small.

Do you have any ideas?

Tuesday: an almost quote

Here is a quote from today. (I changed it to make it more understandable without context.)

"This cable's paperwork says was built at a revision K a while ago. Therefore, we don't need to increase it's revision to H."

Hmm...someone was having alphabet troubles today. Or maybe I'm the only one that finds it funny.

Monday: at least they're free

Last Saturday I ran out of checks. Now usually I don't use many checks, averaging probably about four per month. But this particular Saturday I needed five checks. I paid the one bill and wrote one small check before realizing there were no more in the check book. Bother. It became a time to clean out my drawer as I threw away some empty check boxes along with some check boxes of accounts long closed. However, none of the current bank checks showed themselves.

Fine, I'll order more checks, if you insist. Last time I thought they were absurdly expensive for plain bank checks, but what can I do. Hey, two clicks on the bank website and they're ordered. Well, at least that was easy.

Fast forward 8 days. I log onto the bank website and happen to notice a little icon that says I have mail. After contemplating not clicking it - because let's face it, sometimes they send me notices that I don't care about - I click it thinking maybe it will tell me when my checks shipped.

The email told me my checks didn't ship because blah blah blah.

What?!? They didn't ship? And they didn't send me a little email reminder saying that I had a secure email from them? I find it absurd. While the remaining three checks can in fact wait 7-10 more business days, there are plenty of cases where this wouldn't be the case.

Sure, maybe if it was that important I would have checked to make sure they shipped earlier. Or remembered to order checks. But this meant I had to make a phone call...and I hate making phone calls.

But at least the checks that are coming are free. And they're blue.