We Have A Winner!

My family loves to play games.
Here's the game I'm bringing to Thanksgiving this year!

 It's like Bingo, but with things that will make you laugh and wince at the same time.  In case you can't read them (I know the lettering is small, but it's easier at the Milko site) some of the bingo spots are:

Help Dry Dishes
Antacids
Choking
Broken Dinnerware
Green Beans
Go for a Walk
Sore Subject
Blown Diet
Belch
Test Grandpa's Patience
Kiss Somebody
...and the list goes on.


 I think it's hilarious! And it's all going to happen either way.  Might as well get it all out there, right?  I'll just let everyone print their own cards, and have at it.

I love it when my family gets together, but it's exhausting. It's not that we're all that crazy. (Present company excepted, of course) We're just a LOT of people. We like to do everything together, and we like to keep very busy.. All 35 of us.

This year, my brother who is the organizer extraordinaire, is having us all over to his house in the country, where he has has all kinds of things planned:
Our own Turkey Trot 5K
Family Turkey Bowl
pheasant hunting
shopping
paintball
trail runs and hikes
games (rock band, anyone?)
mountain biking
BYU game in high def
bonfires
and of course a HUGE dinner.  Probably more than one.

He even hooked up his old oven in his garage so he can cook 2 turkeys at a time.

(is my sister-in-law a saint?  why yes, yes she is!)

See, the thing is, we're in denial about how big we are. It just doesn't really occur to anyone that if you take 35 people to the movie theater, we are probably not going to be able to sit together.And then we're all totally annoyed through the whole movie, which completely cracks me up.

My family is SO excited to go!

Anyway, I thought you might like to have the link and the idea for your own Thanksgiving this year!

You're Welcome, and uh, good luck!

Good Luck With That.

For the last 3 nights in a row, I've been super tired.  I don't even know why, really.  Just crazy hey-this-almost-feels-like-8-months-pregnant-but-that-would-be-a-medical-miracle-and-plus-I-think-I-would-have-noticed kind of tired.

So I've been going to bed at 8:30, at which point I get the insane idea that I can probably make it through a 30 minute recorded tv show.

I have started the same 30 Rock three nights in a row, and have yet to see the end.  I thought about watching it this morning, but it sorta takes all the sport out of it, don't ya think?

I'll try it again tonight.  I'm considering it practice for the New Moon midnight showing next week, which yes, I DO already have tickets to the double feature starting at 9pm.



(Stop Laughing!.  I CAN HEAR YOU!)

Running. And Not Running. And Running Again.

Well, for those of you I haven't told yet, I have officially dropped out of the Rim Rock Marathon. I could give you all my reasons, but they really don't change anything, and as Vizzini would say,

“I do not accept excuses. I'm just going to have to find myself a new giant, that's all.”

So yeah, I'm looking for a new giant. Or wait, maybe I"m the giant.   Ok I have no idea.

I'm back to running, though, and getting excited for a few things on my horizon, though they will probably involve distances that do not require me pledging every spare minute plus my firstborn child in order to participate.   If I could find somewhere that would take my second born child though......
Just kidding, Hannah.  You know I'd never trade you off for a race entry fee. Probably.

Anyway,
I have complete admiration for this guy! A 2:10 marathon just blows my mind. For this guy, I'll even tolerate David Letterman!!

Re-Runs

Every morning my favorite morning news show -  America's Newsroom - records on my DVR.  That way, if I get on my treadmill about 15 minutes after it starts, I can get all the morning news without having to watch the commercials!  I love my fast forward button.

But what makes me laugh is when The Brain comes home after work and flips the tv on to watch the recording.  I think I mentioned to him once that there is more up-to-the-minute news available, but he didn't really care.  He likes America's Newsroom, ok? 

(Secretly, I think he likes Megyn Kelly, but since I kind of have a thing for Glenn Beck, we have an unspoken agreement to give each other a pass.)

Anyway, it really cracked me up when I came home from an early morning run last Saturday, and found The Brain lying in bed watching America's Newsroom... from last Wednesday.
When I looked at him like he was one step away from the drop off to crazyland, he just shrugged like I was the weird one, and responded,
"What?  I haven't seen this one yet!"
 

... I guess I watch reruns of my favorite shows, too...

Random Monday

Just random thoughts moving through my brain today....

***********

Pretty sure I burned out another running partner this morning.  She said she'd run 3 miles with me and I prodded her to do 4.  Looking back on it, she probably didn't really feel like she could say no.

I guess I forgot to explain the runner's code - which is basically that your partner is supposed to challenge you a little, and you are supposed to really say no if you can't or don't have time or whatever.  I think we just did the "challenging" part, without the "it's ok to say no"- part.  (Sorry Catherine)  (But you did great!!)

***********

I'm going in today to work on my ongoing pipe dream (meant with both meanings thankyouverymuch) to try to get/keep my gray hair uh, not gray.  Do you think it would be weird to go blonder in November?  Because, in the summer I don't think it's weird...  but in the winter???

And at what point do you just give it up and gracefully go gray?

***********

I told myself I wasn't going to drink Diet Coke until 10 am every day.  But that was before the time switch, so 10am is really 11 am, right?  So really, if I crack one open at 9am, it's all the same.  Yes, I know this is pathetic.

....it's 10:00 somewhere, right?

***********

I realized yesterday that I may never have to go to the store again.  I now have 3 kids who are officially adults and can buy spray paint, bb's, benadryl, and lottery tickets all on their own.
Not that I buy lots of those things.  But it's just happy to know that I wouldn't have be the one to go.

***********

Too bad they aren't old enough to drive with Mimi.  She's going in to get her driver's permit today.

***********

I have figured out why older women wear darker lipstick.
Uggh.

***********

I saw a radio station giving away Free! Air! Guitars!! I think I've found the perfect Christmas gift.  I just have no idea how I'd wrap it.

***********

 

Remember when you got your first blog comments??  My friend Nat  - who has recently emerged from life as a technophobe (and I mean that in the most loving way!!) - has decided to start a blog to document One Thing that was wonderful, or happy, or worth remembering every day.  If you have time, head over and welcome her to blogland, tell her YOUR One Thing for today.

***********

And if you have any thoughts on Christmas gifts for teenagers, besides the air guitars I mean,  let me know.  I'm completely stumped this year, and it's driving me nuts!  This was going to be The Year.  And you know exactly what I mean.

***********

Did you ever used to watch Grammar Rock and wonder what exactly Geraldine was so insulted by?  Because it always looked to me like Geraldo was really working hard to show affection appropriately.

I don't know if I learned more about Interjections or Interpersonal Relationships while watching Grammar Rock.  I think it's safe to say I learned a lot about both.

***********

Yeah.  I know.  Random doesn't even begin to describe it.

My Dilemma

It's no secret.  I'm not a night person. 

But I really! Really! REALLY!  want to go to the midnight showing of New Moon with my girlfriends who actually invited me, even though they never invite me to late night stuff anymore, because I rarely go, because I get really! Really! REALLY! cranky after about 10 pm, because all I want to do is find a place to be horizontal.

I keep thinking I'll just say yes, and then try to take a nap in the evening before I go.  Yeah, that will work.
Not.

Is it a pipe dream?


( OK, I just looked up the phrase "pipe dream" to make sure I was using it correctly, and apparently, the phrase is associated with opium smoking, which is not at all how I meant it.  But now that I think about it, the thought of me actually staying awake in the dark, in a cushy chair until 3 in the morning sounds more like a "pipe dream" than  - you know- REALITY.)

Just Keep it Coming!

Here's where we are this morning!

survey says!:

Yeah I think that's pretty accurate.  They're telling us only 4-8" more.

 

 The mountain suburbs are getting a little more.

I talked The Brain into working from home today, because the roads are just too slick.

Can you believe he vetoed my idea of celebrating at Krispy Kreme?  I suppose if I want to go to Sonic later I'm going to have to sneak out.  It seems that in this case, forgiveness is going to be way easier than permission.  Especially if I bring him a vanilla rootbeer.

(I'm probably not going to start a new post today... but I may continue to add to this one if I have any updates.  So check back if you're interested.)

**10:30 update**

When I measured at 10:30 it was 22 inches.  I couldn't make the ruler stand on top of the other one, but I left it out there anyway so it would have a friend.  Also so I would know where it is, because things like rulers and scissors and pencils with useable erasers seem to disappear around here pret-ty fast.

Hannah decided to invent her own snowblower, which surprisingly didn't work as well as you might have thought.     I think she is now relying on the guy across the street to see her patheticness and come use his snowblower to get her part of the shoveling done.  

As punishment for saying she could go in to work today, (who does that??) Lizzie had to clean off the truck and warm it up so I could drive her over.   I took a picture, but was threatened with some very vague and mysterious retribution if I posted it.  So just know that I have it, and will post it if necessary.

Afternoon snow fort

and snow fight!

And here's the last picture of the night.  I think there's actually about an inch more than the last picture, but it looks pretty much the same.

We ended the day by making Mandarin Chicken and brown rice, and a mandatory viewing of:

All in all a glorious day.  

Snow Fun!

Our snow day today, and we did Abso. Lutely. Nothing.

In case you want to know my definition of absolutely nothing, here it is:

I woke up at 5 because I was so excited that it might be a snow day.  It was, and I couldn't get back to sleep.  Yes, I have already been called a dork.  The Brain was so so happy *cough* when I turned on the tv to watch the snow coverage.  Idk.  I like to watch it, ok?  It's almost like there's a story with a plot and everything, and if I turn it off, I might miss it.

About 8 am I got on the treadmill, still watching the snow news.  Oh, and the Biggest Loser from last night, which I haven't seen the end of yet, so don't tell me who got kicked off!  I'll watch it during treadmill time tomorrow.  Well, if there's no good snow coverage, that is.


Came upstairs, and found my girls watching their new favorite show Psych.  Which is actually pretty funny.  So I sat down to watch a few episodes.

Then the pediatrician called to see if we could move up our appointments so they could go home early.
We then got in the car and drove across town.

When we got there and got all signed in, I told the girls to go ahead and sit in the teen waiting room, because there were likely better magazines in there.

(click to biggify if you can't read the title)

Awesome.

We stopped at Krispy Kream because it was on our way home.  Do we need a better reason?  Because I could throw in the fact that October is National Donut Month if it makes you feel better.

I don't think I've actually eaten a donut since last National Donut Month. But I felt entitled because I had spent my hour on the treadmill.  (And I continue to wonder why I am not losing any weight. Shocker!)

I got home, made black bean soup for dinner, and then made the kids go out and shovel (hey, there ARE perks to having teenagers!).  I didn't take pictures of that part because it just seemed kinda mean to hang out in here with my cozy slippers and my mug of herb tea, taking pictures of their misery.

Naturally, even though the roads were too slick to drive the 1/4 mile to the high school, we DID make it to Sonic Happy Hour.

It was especially happy today, because there was NO line in the drive through.

After that we started a 4 hour marathon of this,

which the girls didn't really remember from the last time we watched it.  As the dramatic closing music began, Mimi let her dissatisfaction be known.  Loudly.  While the rest of us laughed.  It was quite amusing, really.  The ranting sounded a little like this:  "I mean, I guess it's good that he got a life and everything, but that whole thing really stinks,"  over and over again.


Here's what my back deck looked like a couple of hours ago... with predictions for another 24 hours of snow coming up.  

The pink ruler says ---- 11".  I'll keep you updated if it gets deeper by tomorrow.

ooooh!  Live-blogging the snowstorm sounds almost as fun as watching it for hours on tv.   And I know anyone who reads my blog is especially interested in reading about watching snow fall.  And grass grow.  And paint dry.  I mean, you're here, aren't you?


Now the the girls are all working on a puzzle together.

Overall, it was a fantastic day of Nothingness. 

I just got the message that we will have another snow day tomorrow.  Stay posted for my dream come true:  Live snowstorm blogging. 

I know.  You're pumped.