Extreme makeover kitchen edition...

So for Christmas Lisa got me a gift card for Lowe's which I gladly redeemed for paint and supplies to re-do my kitchen...

With Albert's help I ripped out the cabinet over the sink and painted the entire kitchen...

Before:

After:

As a Christmas present Albert, Shelly, and Lisa had my downstairs bathroom made over so the new colors went perfect... I was happy with the job... makes the kitchen way more open to the rest of the downstairs...

Good Christmas

So Christmas was good - we made it back home in time to get cleaned up and head to Lisa's new man's parents house - they had some mediocre food and festivities - then we left just in time to make it to midnight service at church - I love the tradition of singing "silent night" while holding candles in the courtyard... It makes Christmas special...

Christmas morning we all went to Lisa's house (she is flagging that holiday) (as if she could really compete with my thanksgiving - PLEASE....) anyway - the second I walked in the door I got thrown into the kitchen to make breakfast... (I was thinking... hmmm nice - she shines as the one who put on a great Christmas when it was all my cooking) but I was nice and not bitter...

We had a lovely breakfast, opened presents (dad bought me a new dishwasher HALLELUJAH!)

After the festivities dad and I went to see Alvin and the Chipmunks... what an awesome movie... Gosh I remember them from when I was a kid... so cool... such a blast from the past...

So ended the Christmas extravaganza... I'm glad its over and I still have a weeks worth of vacation left...

Sin City Christmas!?! Almost!

OK so not the most Christ-centered place to spend Christmas - thank God we decided to leave on Christmas eve and not stay-

The trip was awesome though - Dad got us all tickets to see Purdue play basketball and the games were a blast - good family time. We invited my Dad's manager from the store Carmen and her husband Doug along for the trip too - everyone enjoyed.

This time we stayed at the Rio - I had never been there before just seen it from the freeway but I have to say it was one of the nicest hotels in Vegas I have stayed in. We were in the old tower which had been totally renovated and the rooms were beyond posh. To boot the buffet downstairs was awesome! Crab, shrimp, salad, Asian food, taco bar, breads, pasta, desserts, ham, prime rib, all you can drink champagne! I was in hog heaven.

The second night after the game I met up with Mimi (she was in town) and her sister and some debbie downer girl. We hit the strip for some gambling, drinking, and tried to dance at this club at Ceaser's but this large group of Asian line dancers dominated the floor - (hmmm - yes that's what I said; a large group of Asian line dancers) It was an fun night! I don't get out to party much anymore at my ripe old age so it was nice to feel young and cool; even if it was only for one night.

We packed up early on Christmas eve and hit the road - (THANK GOD) the thought of actually spending Christmas in Vegas didn't really appeal to me - but I didn't want to be the party pooper...

Christmas way too fast!

To echo my friend Jenn - Christmas is coming way too fast... I should have thought ahead like Nicole... Last night I went rummaging through the ravaged shelves at Kohl's, Target, and Bed Bath and Beyond - thankfully the lines were not too bad.

I try to remember that Christmas is about remembering the joy that Christ gives us through his birth, but all I can think about is making presents, buying presents, cleaning the house for parties, buying food... Ugg I'm borderline overwhelmed - and to boot we are spending Christmas in Las Vegas watching Basketball - GO PURDUE!

I did homemade gifts again this year for many friends, hopefully they come out ok...

MAMMOTH!

What a super vacation! Lisa and I hit the road on Thursday night - it was a little rainy down south and lightly snowing once we got up into higher altitude... Lisa drove very safe and slow and we didn't need to put the chains on the truck - we pulled into the hotel parking lot and praised the Lord with all our might - we have both spun around or slid off the road enough times to be terrified to drive on ice.

The room was pretty nice (nothing fancy) - two beds and a coffee machine (I love Savage Garden) - and right outside were 2 lifts and the gondola! It was just starting to snow heavily when we went to bed...

We woke up in the morning to TWO FEET of freshy powder! Oh it was amazing - and cold - about 20 degrees.

Visibility was pretty poor the whole first day but we still got a ton of skiing in (and lots of hot chocolate breaks)

The second day we woke up to another five inches of snow fall overnight but this time bird blue skies and groomed packed powdery snow - we skied ALL DAY LONG - Lisa even got me up on the Cornice Bowl - a black diamond slope at the tippy top of the mountain... scary but super fun!

We went to town for a nice dinner that night and had some yummy fish and chips at a pub down in the village...

The next morning we packed up and hit the slopes for one last day - it was a little cloudy but we still had a blast - we decided to go off roading for a few hours so we veered off the slopes and just kicked up the powder between the trees - it was fun...

The drive home was amazing - awesome views! We got back at a decent hour - in time to get up and go back to work on Monday - boo...

Definitely chalk it up to an awesome trip! Lisa and I got along and had a blast... I love my little sister - hmmm well sometimes...

Silver Bells er Balls...

I was humming "Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas" all night as I decorated the tree... I decided on all white lights with silver balls and silver beaded garland... it came out sweet!

I sat at the top of the stairs with the lights off just to watch the tree - a favorite childhood memory of mine. I love this time of year...

The cat didn't look as happy with the tree... I think he is plotting his attack and some day soon we will come home and find the tree ripped to shreds...

It's OPEN It's OPEN!!!

Finally after much anticipation they opened up Mountain High - our local ski resort. They only have 4 runs open right now but the new equipment they installed over the summer has made a tremendous difference. They were able (due to good temperature) make 12 inches of snow. It's so soft and fluffy! Usually this early in the season the coverage is very light and there is a lot of ice and obstacles - not this year. I have gone night skiing two days this week and plan on getting up there this Saturday also.

What a blast! Lisa and I are heading up to Mammoth next weekend for a fun brother and sister ski extravaganza! Hopefully they get a dump of snow before we arrive...

ahh - can you smell it? Winter is here....

Kwanza Bush? Family Shrub? Holiday Plant?

No stupid it's a Christmas tree - emphasis on the Christ... Anyhoo - Shel and I got ours at Lowe's last night - isn't she pretty! And when I went downstairs this morning the whole house smelled like delicious pine... mmm I need to decorate it now... Big Lots here I come! I think I want to do somthing classy like all white lights and silver bells...

Turkey Day!

So both of my thanksgiving celebrations came out great! I decided to set the table this year to free up space on the buffet line and we cut a few dishes from the menu which worked out super! Everyone ate till they were full and we had very little left over... well except for my disastrous stuffing. The stuffing that was inside the bird was moist and delicious but the residual that was in the pan with juices was dry and tasteless...

I was happy with the Turkey - it was very moist and delicious... Shel is going to make turkey soup out of it... sounds yummy!

Everyone said they had a good time - (there was no fighting or death) so I will chalk it up to another successful celebration - I was Happy...

Funny thing - this Sunday Pastor Rob was talking about living a life of Thanksgiving and the difference between happiness and joy. Happiness comes from happenings like a successful dinner or visiting with friends and family, where joy comes from the Lord - I really had to chew on that for a while to soak it in. Even though my family drove me crazy over the holidays and I put on a happy face for the time spent - I have true joy because of what Christ has done for me on the cross... hard to remember sometimes when we have so much going on... But I will try to be more joyful and moderately happy for the rest of this season.

SUPACLEAN!!!

The holiday crunch is really getting to me - I have two thanksgiving celebrations coming up at my house this week - one for my church group (11 people) and the big one for the family (16 people). And with the busy week I have had, the house has fallen into total disarray. It was driving me nuts! NUTS I TELL YOU!

So last night i scrubbed the house from top to bottom. I even patched, filled, and painted the holes in the wall from where I moved that sconce 6 months ago. I did an extra good job on the floors and the yard.

I had to replace the cushions on my swing in the yard because one of them was torn and the stuffing was oozing out and turning brown from the dust in the air. I found these replacements at Lowes for $12 - what a deal! The more I look at them, the more I see why they were only $12. They are ugly as sin... too late now I guess, I tore off the tags that say do not remove.

I think the house is in good shape now, well except for those cushions...

Pretty Kitty!

Mimi sent me this delightful kitten...

Old...

So I was on the train this morning and overheard this old couple fighting in Spanish about being on the right train - they had to be in their late 70's or 80's. I leaned over and explained that they were on the train to Orange County and how they could catch the correct train to LA. It dawned on me as they hobbled down the stairs to connect to the proper train that it really must suck being old. Your skin turns to leather, your hair falls out and you cant see, hear, or understand anything around you. Some day I'm sure I will read this and think "what a little jerk" but I really don't care - many people in thier 50's and 60's look like crap. I want to look like Barb when I grow up - she is still rockin -

Creepy Fog

It was so foggy this morning - you could barely see the other side of the train station...

Too Much HGTV

Wow I really watch too much HGTV (one of my many addictions)




So while watching Design on a dime one night I learned how to re-cover dining room chairs - and thought to myself - that seems easy - so I switched mine up... I think they came out nice...

Halloween!

So I was a construction worker for Halloween - Nicole (in her usual evil demeanor) said my arms looked skinny - then she tried to attack me with her nasty hand- dang her skin is gross.... (maybe lotion would help?)

After losing the costume contest I went to the church carnival where my small group organized and seamlessly executed feeding almost 500 people at the food booth! We had nachos, hot dogs, pizza, chips and soda. The system worked great and everyone came together to do a really awesome job. God has really blessed me this last few months with the growth in the small group. We went from 5 members to 11 and the sheer size and differences in personality has blessed everyone! amen and amen - who knew an evil holiday could be a blessing...

Han·ford Cal·i·for·nia

I know - I had to map quest it. Basically you leave LA and head for Fresno - once you smell cow and produce you make a left, past the rural farms of the lovely San Joaquin Valley you enter the lively town of Hanford California. I was actually surprised to find a super wal-mart, Target, and the Hanford Mall all within a few blocks of my hotel.

Ahh my hotel - now I have stayed in dumps before but I think this place takes the cake. There was two choices in town - the 30+ year old Comfort Suites (not a brand I frequent) or the independent Sequoia Inn. Yet again based on misleading pictures and reviews on the Internet I chose the Sequioia Inn; BIG MISTAKE. I have been smoke free for over 130 days now and the hotel was completely mixed smoking and non. Even though my room was non smoking, the room across from me was a smoking room and the hallway had a nice hazy looming cloud due to lack of ventilation. I figured it wasn't that bad, I would just open the slider and allow the fresh air to come in... and By fresh I am referring to the onion farm/dairy aroma that wafting in. Not to mention the lovely sound 10 perky pigeons perched on my patio. Upon further investigation of the hotel I discovered the cluster of bee hives wedged into the top of the eves - what a palace.

Now even though the town was laden with big name chain restaurants - they still had the small town feel. I wasn't sure if people realized I was "not from around here" or they generally give horrible service but I don't recall one great meal the whole time I was in town.

I was glad to be on my way out of that desolate place-

Yuk and Ugg...

So what a uneventful trip to the ugly city of Lancaster. For some reason all the decent hotels in town were booked so I had to stay at the oxford inn and suites - hmmm funny my room didn't look like a suite - More like a broom closet with a bed (hence the Yuk). To boot the Internet service was intermittent and slow. At least I was able to catch Extreme Makeover Home edition and Desperate Housewives on Sunday night.

I was super disappointed also, I did not get the chance to visit my favorite sushi restaurant in the whole wide work (hence the ugg) I worked so late every night that about all that was open was fast food. I tried to keep it healthy with El Pollo Loco most nights. After 3 nights I moved on to Hanford California (I know what your thinking where is Hanford)

A boozer and not a loser...

So I have had a heck of a week - run run run - I don't think I have had more than an hour here and there to actually relax. I totally blew it on my no drinking campaign - Last night at the bowling alley I had 3 glasses of beer (not terrible) but not really what I expected out of myself. And drinking drives me to eat - so after bowling Dad and Lisa said hey let's go over to Spires and get some dinner (not exactly a good idea at 9:30pm). Without protest, my stomach led me over there to eat a giant ham and Swiss sandwich with fries and a bowl of soup... I hate that I eat so much... and to boot I am going on the road starting Sunday - I always eat bad when I travel...

Ugg - I need to staple my lips shut - I really would like to get back to the weight I was before I quit smoking...

So this trip I will be going to the beautiful and glamorous cities of Lancaster and Hanford California. I'm not sure which one I am more excited about. At least I don't have to fly and rent a car and all that junk... I will have the lex with my satellite radio...

One plus is that my favorite sushi restaurant in the whole wide world is in Lancaster - mmmm Big Tuna... they have an all you can eat nightly special for $25... which is a total steal...

Bass Pro Shop!

WOW WOW! what a place! So sunday after church I took my little buddy Bryce to check out the bass pro shop... He is 4... I have never seen such a place in my life. We got in the boats and played with all the switches and opened all the cabintets. Looked at the camping stuff, went in all the tents, played with the BBQs, tried out the crossbows, looked at the fish in the huge tank. Bryce drug me around the store for over 2 hours. He is such a great kid and we had a blast.

GEEZ THATS A BIG PUMPKIN

This is from a pumpkin contest in Half Moon Bay, CA - "Farmer John" won with a pumpkin weighing 1581 pounds... dang man!

Ugly Betty

I LOVE UGLY BETTY! Last night's episode was one of the best ever, not only did Ignacio Suarez come back from Mexico, but Justin learned how to play basket ball and Henry actually confronted Charlie about her affair and the fact that the kid may not be his. I have to say the pinnacle of the entire show was when Willamina, through the magic of photshop, convinced Alexis Mead that the two of them were great friends. It was HILARIOUS - there was a picture of them square dancing I was busting up (Shel yelled down stairs for me to shut up)...

Anyway... kudos to ABC... what a great show and a great episode!

Bag of nuts & a turkey burger, but still no booze...

So one of our operators from Virgina was in the office today and I was so glad to see her - she is a real pal. She brought me this bag of Virgina Peanuts. They were delicious - unusually greasy and salty... even more so than your average run of the mill nut... needless to say I have been pouring them straight from the bag right into my mouth all morning...

As if the nuts weren't filling enough I went to Carl's Jr and tried out their new Turkey Burger.... GROSS it looked like something you would buy in the freezer section of the grocery store and microwave. It was luke warm with some chewy bacon and nasty ranch sauce... Leave it to Carl's to totally mess up a great idea. I don't know why I bother going there - the fries always suck, the sandwiches are mediocre at best - what a waste of $6 and time. I would have been happier with my lean cuisine frozen dinner and some green salad here in the break room.

AND today is day 10 with no alcohol... I have really enjoyed the clarity of mind the past 10 days, however would still like to drink, I think I have proven the point to myself that I can skip drinking if I want to - however I feel the opposite, I miss drinking, I like a buzz now and again... I should just limit it to a day or so a week...

l guess we will see how tonight goes, maybe I will have a drink at the bowling alley... maybe not...

Haloween is in the air...

Well its that time of year again, the air is getting chilly, its still dark out as I stand in the cold waiting for my train in the morning and ahh yes - the stores are stocking truckloads of candy on the shelves. I couldn't help but notice the 5000 pounds of candy in huge orange barrels that I had to walk by while entering Albertsons the other day. So to celebrate I put up my Halloween decoration on my desk. -

Sometimes I worry about being too festive... Maybe I am overdoing it...

Anyhoo - the chill in the air and the dusting of snow reminds me also that the ski season is soon upon us. I tried on my ski suit the other day and thank God it still fits good... this quitting smoking nonsense has put me on the path to obesity... however the non drinking thing has made me snack less at night - which hopefully will balance everything out...


I love winter time - hopefully it will be full of snow and I will get some good skiing in...

The cat is so not affraid of me...

Now I live with my cat - I know what your thinking... The cat lives with me, however anyone who is owned by a cat knows better - I was singing and dancing around on the floors in my socks and not once did my fat cat move from the ottoman that he knows he is not supposed to be on... I think I will box him up and send him to the sausage factory tomorrow...

Smoking, Drinking, and all that jazz...

So this past Thursday completed 100 days of not smoking and I actually think I will be OK - seriously I thought it would be a lot harder. I do get fidgety sometimes and miss a good morning smoke with a cup of coffee (the breakfast of champions) but I'm sure I will get totally over it eventually...

Now drinking is on my mind... Last week in bible study we were talking about demons that we all have to face... for some reason the frequency of my drinking was on my mind... (no doubt via the Holy Spirit) - I have to say I don't think I am a drunk, I rarely drink more than a drink or two, however I do drink often... and that kinda scares me. Anyhow - long winded thing (I am always long winded) I have given up drinking for a week to see how a sober mind sits with me. I have been drinking tea and taking hot baths after work to relax. I have to say its better, but part of me still wants to relax with a nice vodka, soda, lime... Since I was able to quit smoking, I'm sure I can quit drinking too - just a sip on special occasions... or is that really the point that I don't need booze at all - special occasions are better enjoyed sober so I can take in all that the occasion has to offer... hmmmm

Well I am boring myself with all this philosophy... In the background I am downloading music to fill up my iPod... I just got "All that Jazz" from the Chicago soundtrack... (the musical - not the cheezy movie) there is a difference - there is a difference....

I think I will dance around the living room in my socks before bed.... that will be medicinal in some weird way...