We had a very good Christmas this year. It started out with Dirk's family where we got to hang out with our cutest little nephew! It was fun to watch his facial expressions and his tongue action. He is just so adorable. Then Dirk got something in his eye while he was welding and his brother had to clean it out for him. I'd never seen the "other side" of an eye doctor before. (i.e. standing behind him while he examines.)
From there we went to my sister's in Missouri where I gave them Noah's Ark. It was great. I wrapped up all the animals in pairs, in separate boxes, then the ark in it's own box. Laura tore open Mr. and Mrs. Noah first and was like "ohh some... people?" Then she opened the turtles and started screaming and ran across the room. "TURTLES!!!" That was worth it. By then Lily had managed to open a box (with the help of grandpa) and started to squeal about the crocodiles. They just love reptiles!
Their excitement for opening gifts is not a trait they inherit from their mother, that is for sure. Growing up it was so frustrating because you'd get her THE PERFECT GIFT and she was like "ohh thank you." That's it. She might be leaping on the inside, but her excitement never makes it to the surface, which drove me nuts. (Dirk is like that too. The only time I've ever seen him truly EXCITED was when he got his boat, which was worthwhile.)
It was lots of fun. Laura played with the boat while Lily tottered around carrying all the animals to everyone, handing them out. Lily is at that cute stage where she is walking really good and wants to sit with everyone. She isn't talking yet, but she understands really well. It's so funny! She does exactly what you tell her to, but she doesn't talk. We think when she does start talking she'll just start with complete sentences.
Dirk gave me all kinds of wonderful gifts that I was extremely excited about. He gave me a digital kitchen scale, digital kitchen thermostat, rolling pin, baking stone, wooden spatula (to go with my new stainless steel cookware). You KNOW you are old when you get PUMPED about kitchen utensils.
Now I must go find a good cake recipe for Dirk's birthday. It's on Sunday and I think I'll surprise him with a special cake.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Merry Christmas
I've finished just under the wire. (Well almost, I won't be seeing Laura and Lily until Saturday and I am still sewing up one last elephant...)
Grand Finale! Noah's Ark:
All are now wrapped and awaiting the girls' screams of delight. (They scream when they open everything, even clothes.)
I had hoped to finish a few more animals, but I ran out of time. These things take so long to sew together! I plan on making some pigs, monkeys and camels later and mailing them as an extra surprise. But since I started this project in MAY... I need a break.
I am so excited to see the girls' reactions... and my sister's! She knows they are getting Noah's Ark, but she has no idea what it looks like. I am just so pumped to give it to them.
Well, I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas. I better get to bed or Santa won't come down my chimney!
Grand Finale! Noah's Ark:
All are now wrapped and awaiting the girls' screams of delight. (They scream when they open everything, even clothes.)
I had hoped to finish a few more animals, but I ran out of time. These things take so long to sew together! I plan on making some pigs, monkeys and camels later and mailing them as an extra surprise. But since I started this project in MAY... I need a break.
I am so excited to see the girls' reactions... and my sister's! She knows they are getting Noah's Ark, but she has no idea what it looks like. I am just so pumped to give it to them.
Well, I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas. I better get to bed or Santa won't come down my chimney!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
All Hail Quik Print
I just had the best experience, and I am going to blog about it!
I can safely assume that the majority of you aren't graphic designers, but I'm sure at some point in your life you have had to use Kinkos for something. Let me just say:
I hate Kinkos.
Hate. I avoid them at ALL cost, and when I do have to go there it's with weeping and gnashing of teeth. Kinkos is over-priced and has horrible service. Horrible. You can take your project in, drop it off and explain everything to the employee, then when you come back to pick it up there is some other dude who knows nothing of your project and gives it to you--usually done wrong or at least printed poorly, or crooked or whatever. Oh and most of the time the employees are rude. They treat me like I'm an idiot, when (ironically) I have the skills to go back and put my project together better than they can. There's even been a few times where I've had to TELL THEM how to do things.
I just hate Kinkos. Most people outside of the industry think Kinkos is a great life-saver, but I just see them exploiting people who don't know where else to get these products.
I'll prove my point:
Last Christmas I made calendars for the family. I printed them at work and I took them to Kinkos to have them spiral bound. I waited in line for 20 minutes and paid $4.20 per calendar to have them bound. I only did two, so it was $8.40 plus tax.
This year I decided to make calendars for all my aunts and cousins, nine total. I rounded up for inflation (and just stupidity) and estimated it would be $5 each to have them spiral bound. So I budgeted $45.
In Oklahoma we have a local place--a competitor of Kinkos--called Quik Print. They are in Oklahoma City and in Tulsa (They used to be in Wichita but I am not sure anymore.) We use Quik Print at work all the time for posters, banners or things of smaller quantity. They aren't just a "copy place" in fact they house full color presses and can do big jobs. They have awesome quality, it's cheap and FAST. Earlier this year I had a lady's wedding invitations printed there, and they turned out amazing. Our entire office is full of perfectionists, and QP totally passes the test.
There is a Kinkos next to my house, but just to avoid the agony of it, I trucked it two miles down the street to Quik Print and asked them to spiral bind my calendars. They were so polite! And I didn't even have to wait! He said my order would be done within the hour and they'd call me when it was ready. I went shopping, got a call saying they were done, came back and picked them up. Total for nine calendars: $14.03 including tax. I would have at least paid $37.80 at Kinkos, not counting a raise in price or tax.
Quik Print saved me almost $25 bucks!!!! And they were NICE and I didn't have to wait forever!!!
Last time I went into Kinkos (it was to Fed-Ex something) I watched a man shell out $300 for 500 black and white, one-sided business cards. Do you know how much it costs me to print 500 business cards FULL COLOR two sided cards somewhere else? $25. Do you see the mark-up here?? It's RIDICULOUS.
Moral of the story: If you are in Oklahoma City or Tulsa and have a small project you need bound, printed, copied go to Quik Print. If you need posters, banners, or signs, go to Quik Print. DO IT, they are great.
If you don't have a QP then look up your more local copy places and ask them their prices and what they can do. I bet you can find something much cheaper than Kinkos!
Why I didn't go there last Christmas, I don't know.
I can safely assume that the majority of you aren't graphic designers, but I'm sure at some point in your life you have had to use Kinkos for something. Let me just say:
I hate Kinkos.
Hate. I avoid them at ALL cost, and when I do have to go there it's with weeping and gnashing of teeth. Kinkos is over-priced and has horrible service. Horrible. You can take your project in, drop it off and explain everything to the employee, then when you come back to pick it up there is some other dude who knows nothing of your project and gives it to you--usually done wrong or at least printed poorly, or crooked or whatever. Oh and most of the time the employees are rude. They treat me like I'm an idiot, when (ironically) I have the skills to go back and put my project together better than they can. There's even been a few times where I've had to TELL THEM how to do things.
I just hate Kinkos. Most people outside of the industry think Kinkos is a great life-saver, but I just see them exploiting people who don't know where else to get these products.
I'll prove my point:
Last Christmas I made calendars for the family. I printed them at work and I took them to Kinkos to have them spiral bound. I waited in line for 20 minutes and paid $4.20 per calendar to have them bound. I only did two, so it was $8.40 plus tax.
This year I decided to make calendars for all my aunts and cousins, nine total. I rounded up for inflation (and just stupidity) and estimated it would be $5 each to have them spiral bound. So I budgeted $45.
In Oklahoma we have a local place--a competitor of Kinkos--called Quik Print. They are in Oklahoma City and in Tulsa (They used to be in Wichita but I am not sure anymore.) We use Quik Print at work all the time for posters, banners or things of smaller quantity. They aren't just a "copy place" in fact they house full color presses and can do big jobs. They have awesome quality, it's cheap and FAST. Earlier this year I had a lady's wedding invitations printed there, and they turned out amazing. Our entire office is full of perfectionists, and QP totally passes the test.
There is a Kinkos next to my house, but just to avoid the agony of it, I trucked it two miles down the street to Quik Print and asked them to spiral bind my calendars. They were so polite! And I didn't even have to wait! He said my order would be done within the hour and they'd call me when it was ready. I went shopping, got a call saying they were done, came back and picked them up. Total for nine calendars: $14.03 including tax. I would have at least paid $37.80 at Kinkos, not counting a raise in price or tax.
Quik Print saved me almost $25 bucks!!!! And they were NICE and I didn't have to wait forever!!!
Last time I went into Kinkos (it was to Fed-Ex something) I watched a man shell out $300 for 500 black and white, one-sided business cards. Do you know how much it costs me to print 500 business cards FULL COLOR two sided cards somewhere else? $25. Do you see the mark-up here?? It's RIDICULOUS.
Moral of the story: If you are in Oklahoma City or Tulsa and have a small project you need bound, printed, copied go to Quik Print. If you need posters, banners, or signs, go to Quik Print. DO IT, they are great.
If you don't have a QP then look up your more local copy places and ask them their prices and what they can do. I bet you can find something much cheaper than Kinkos!
Why I didn't go there last Christmas, I don't know.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Goodbye 2008.
This has been a very sad year. A year of sadness and loss.
This year was my first to lose someone close to me. I realize now that when you lose someone, you never really do "get over it." There is always a small place in your heart that aches for them and wishes things were different. There is always a memory that can spark tears in an instant.
Friday we lost an elder at church, a professor at OC and an all around wonderful man--John Thompson. He was such a big part of church, and everyone adores his family. Missing his leadership just hurts. Today was one of the hardest and best church services I have ever attended. 200 people sat in one room together, our hearts aching... and there was a peace to it. We all cried as we prayed for his family, we all share in this sorrow. We know John is no longer in pain, he is dancing and laughing and whole again and we are glad. But it's still sad without him.
My heart rejoices and aches. Is that possible? I think so.
This year was my first to lose someone close to me. I realize now that when you lose someone, you never really do "get over it." There is always a small place in your heart that aches for them and wishes things were different. There is always a memory that can spark tears in an instant.
Friday we lost an elder at church, a professor at OC and an all around wonderful man--John Thompson. He was such a big part of church, and everyone adores his family. Missing his leadership just hurts. Today was one of the hardest and best church services I have ever attended. 200 people sat in one room together, our hearts aching... and there was a peace to it. We all cried as we prayed for his family, we all share in this sorrow. We know John is no longer in pain, he is dancing and laughing and whole again and we are glad. But it's still sad without him.
My heart rejoices and aches. Is that possible? I think so.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Laundry Soap and other public service announcements
I've had a few people ask how my sister makes her detergent. Here is a recipe that works well.
• 1 bar soap (laundry soap like Fels Naptha or Octagon work best. They are in the laundry aisle. You can also use plain old Ivory or whatever.)
• 1/2 cup washing soda (not baking, washing. Also in laundry aisle, but I don't think Walmart carries it.)
• 1/2 cup borax
• bucket
• old laundry soap bottles, something to put your detergent in!
Bring 6 cups of water almost to a boil, meanwhile grate up the bar of soap. (You don't have to use the whole bar, you can use just half if you like.) Dump the shaved soap into the hot water, stir until it is all dissolved. Add soda and borax, stir until dissolved. Next, pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket. Add the soapy mixture and stir. Then add 1 gallon + 6 cups more hot water. Let it sit over night and it will solidify (kinda). When it's finished you'll have a giant bucket of slime. It will be the color of the soap you used. Use 1/2 cup per load.
You can pour it into containers for storage and use. You can also leave out the borax if you like, but it's a natural water softener so it makes the clothes really soft.
Depending on your local stores and how much the ingredients cost, it can be anywhere from 1-5¢ per load. I found the laundry bar soap cheaper than my sister, but I haven't bought any washing soda yet.
Of course buying the borax and washing soda come in big boxes, so it will make a lot more than just one batch. Borax also has TONS of other uses around the house, which I learned from Reader's Digest: Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things, a book that my dad got for me a few years ago. Here are a few.
Borax:
-Clean your toilet
Use a stiff brush to scrub it using a solution of 1/2 cup borax in 1 gallon (3.7 liters) water.
-Clean windows and mirrors
Want to get windows and mirrors spotless and streakless? Wash them with a clean sponge dipped in 2 tablespoons borax dissolved in 3 cups water.
-Sanitize your garbage disposal
A garbage disposal is a great convenience but can also be a great breeding ground for mold and bacteria. To maintain a more sanitary disposal, every couple of weeks pour 3 tablespoons borax down the drain and let it sit for 1 hour. Then turn on the disposal and flush it with hot water from the tap.
-Keep away weeds and ants
Get the jump on those weeds that grow in the cracks of the concrete outside your house by sprinkling borax into all the crevices where you've seen weeds grow in the past. It will kill them off before they have a chance to take root. When applied around the foundation of your home, it will also keep ants and other six-legged intruders from entering your house. But be very careful when applying borax -- it is toxic to plants.
There are a bazillion more in the book. I spent half a Saturday reading that book to see what all household items have various uses. It lists "power items" like borax, baking soda, vinegar and some others that you can use just about everywhere. Pretty cool stuff.
Well that's all I've got. Happy cleaning!
• 1 bar soap (laundry soap like Fels Naptha or Octagon work best. They are in the laundry aisle. You can also use plain old Ivory or whatever.)
• 1/2 cup washing soda (not baking, washing. Also in laundry aisle, but I don't think Walmart carries it.)
• 1/2 cup borax
• bucket
• old laundry soap bottles, something to put your detergent in!
Bring 6 cups of water almost to a boil, meanwhile grate up the bar of soap. (You don't have to use the whole bar, you can use just half if you like.) Dump the shaved soap into the hot water, stir until it is all dissolved. Add soda and borax, stir until dissolved. Next, pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket. Add the soapy mixture and stir. Then add 1 gallon + 6 cups more hot water. Let it sit over night and it will solidify (kinda). When it's finished you'll have a giant bucket of slime. It will be the color of the soap you used. Use 1/2 cup per load.
You can pour it into containers for storage and use. You can also leave out the borax if you like, but it's a natural water softener so it makes the clothes really soft.
Depending on your local stores and how much the ingredients cost, it can be anywhere from 1-5¢ per load. I found the laundry bar soap cheaper than my sister, but I haven't bought any washing soda yet.
Of course buying the borax and washing soda come in big boxes, so it will make a lot more than just one batch. Borax also has TONS of other uses around the house, which I learned from Reader's Digest: Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things, a book that my dad got for me a few years ago. Here are a few.
Borax:
-Clean your toilet
Use a stiff brush to scrub it using a solution of 1/2 cup borax in 1 gallon (3.7 liters) water.
-Clean windows and mirrors
Want to get windows and mirrors spotless and streakless? Wash them with a clean sponge dipped in 2 tablespoons borax dissolved in 3 cups water.
-Sanitize your garbage disposal
A garbage disposal is a great convenience but can also be a great breeding ground for mold and bacteria. To maintain a more sanitary disposal, every couple of weeks pour 3 tablespoons borax down the drain and let it sit for 1 hour. Then turn on the disposal and flush it with hot water from the tap.
-Keep away weeds and ants
Get the jump on those weeds that grow in the cracks of the concrete outside your house by sprinkling borax into all the crevices where you've seen weeds grow in the past. It will kill them off before they have a chance to take root. When applied around the foundation of your home, it will also keep ants and other six-legged intruders from entering your house. But be very careful when applying borax -- it is toxic to plants.
There are a bazillion more in the book. I spent half a Saturday reading that book to see what all household items have various uses. It lists "power items" like borax, baking soda, vinegar and some others that you can use just about everywhere. Pretty cool stuff.
Well that's all I've got. Happy cleaning!
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
I should be in bed.
Over thanksgiving my sister gave me some of her home made detergent. At first I was skeptical, because it was a plastic jar filled with white sludge, but I had to wash some some of Dirk's "play" clothes, so I gave it a try. WOW! That stuff works great, and his clothes are so soft. After adding all the costs it ended up being a little over a penny a load. It takes about 15 minutes to make a batch, and it makes 64 loads.
I found some of the ingredients here a bit cheaper, so it could cost even less. I think I'm going to make some--that is once I use up the 543232432 gallon jug I bought at Sam's.
I've really been trying to simplify things in our life a bit, not so much the process but the ingredients. For example, making my own bread. Yes, the process is longer but I know what goes into it. There are no ingredients I can't pronounce. When I look at things like shampoo, detergent, cleaning products... they are so full of things I have no idea what they are... I just trust that the manufacturers know what they are doing.
I'm not ready to make my own shampoo, but I have been using baking soda more than I used to. For example, I have a glass cook top. I only use baking soda to clean it. It scares me to use chemicals, because I wonder, when I heat it up, what if there is some scary residue that evaporates?
It also frustrates me that high fructose corn syrup is in everything. We bought some tomato soup and sure enough, corn syrup! In soup! Next year when we have our garden I plan on making lots of things myself, tomato juice, sauce, soup.
I've also stopped using margarine in cooking (Dirk still likes to slather it on toast.) But really, what IS margarine anyway? A bunch of oils and weird junk? I just find that butter is fine to use in moderation. A little goes a long way! My subscription to Cooking Light taught me that. It's an awesome magazine, by the way.
This post is kind of pointless. Stay tuned for the next installment of Noah's Ark!! I have 3 sets of animals done and I'm finishing up Mr. and Mrs. Noah!
I found some of the ingredients here a bit cheaper, so it could cost even less. I think I'm going to make some--that is once I use up the 543232432 gallon jug I bought at Sam's.
I've really been trying to simplify things in our life a bit, not so much the process but the ingredients. For example, making my own bread. Yes, the process is longer but I know what goes into it. There are no ingredients I can't pronounce. When I look at things like shampoo, detergent, cleaning products... they are so full of things I have no idea what they are... I just trust that the manufacturers know what they are doing.
I'm not ready to make my own shampoo, but I have been using baking soda more than I used to. For example, I have a glass cook top. I only use baking soda to clean it. It scares me to use chemicals, because I wonder, when I heat it up, what if there is some scary residue that evaporates?
It also frustrates me that high fructose corn syrup is in everything. We bought some tomato soup and sure enough, corn syrup! In soup! Next year when we have our garden I plan on making lots of things myself, tomato juice, sauce, soup.
I've also stopped using margarine in cooking (Dirk still likes to slather it on toast.) But really, what IS margarine anyway? A bunch of oils and weird junk? I just find that butter is fine to use in moderation. A little goes a long way! My subscription to Cooking Light taught me that. It's an awesome magazine, by the way.
This post is kind of pointless. Stay tuned for the next installment of Noah's Ark!! I have 3 sets of animals done and I'm finishing up Mr. and Mrs. Noah!
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Huge Letdown
If you are a big fan of the Chronicles of Narnia (the books) then don't get your hopes up too high when you see the movie "Prince Caspian."
I am so disappointed. Do screenwriters not realize that C.S. Lewis wrote these CLASSICS and that millions of people love them? It's like they thought "oh this is too boring" and just added a bunch of JUNK to "make it better."
It followed the book like 40%. I'm just so mad!! Who makes these decisions? Who allows people to completely alter a classic story? It's just upsetting.
Caspian was a boy, A BOY. Susan didn't KISS HIM, ew! There was no attack on the castle. Caspian didn't fight with Peter! And Aslan was a part of the story loooong before he showed up in the movie. And their whole thing of bringing up the White Witch was just wrong and upsetting.
There was just so much wrong with this movie. BOOO Hollywood! You jacked up a good one.
I am so disappointed. Do screenwriters not realize that C.S. Lewis wrote these CLASSICS and that millions of people love them? It's like they thought "oh this is too boring" and just added a bunch of JUNK to "make it better."
It followed the book like 40%. I'm just so mad!! Who makes these decisions? Who allows people to completely alter a classic story? It's just upsetting.
Caspian was a boy, A BOY. Susan didn't KISS HIM, ew! There was no attack on the castle. Caspian didn't fight with Peter! And Aslan was a part of the story loooong before he showed up in the movie. And their whole thing of bringing up the White Witch was just wrong and upsetting.
There was just so much wrong with this movie. BOOO Hollywood! You jacked up a good one.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
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