North for the Weekend

This past weekend we took a trip up north to visit Rebekkah and the rest of the Steinbeck family. We had a great time, but it seemed way too short! Adam and John spent the majority of the time working on tiling their shower.

Here is John working on the tile that goes around the knob of the shower. It was quite tedious.

John really enjoyed wearing Adam's 'Indiana Jones' hat...so much that he had to get one of his own!
I got recruited into cutting these small triangles for the cool pattern they put in. Rebekkah said I totally look like a hip pottery shop worker. I think she's right! I normally don't look so glamorous on our tile jobs.

Here is the dude's hard work! Doesn't it look great?

John wound up getting a hold of the camera, and took this beauty of a video. Please note that I'm not posting this because of me...but because of the baby!



Rebekkah and I mainly just hung out and took care of the kiddos. It was great getting to see them again, and Addison is getting so big! She is just starting to smile which is so exciting!

I learned that she is a very particular sleeper, AKA she only likes to sleep on her mom! Poor Rebekkah has the hardest time getting anything done when she can only set Addison down for maybe 5-10 minutes max. I was lucky enough to have her zonk out while I was holding her on Saturday night, which enabled Rebekkah to make dinner. I love it when my job is to just hold the baby. I totally got the easy job.

Here Rebekkah is showing us her multitasking abilities.

I also got to play with Syd in her pebble garden, (sand box with pebbles instead of sand). I actually don't have any funny stories from the weekend, which I know is totally unacceptable, but I guess that is what happens when you spend it with a normal family!

Here is a cute video of Addison when she got the hiccups (make sure to watch the belly!):

We did find some time to set up a photo shoot, which is always tradition. This has to be one of my favorite photos. She looks SO cute here! Or totally skeptical of this homemade setup.

Here Addison is wearing a homemade hat and booties. My mom made the hat, so this photo is for you!
Sleeping Beauty

This is one of my faves of the mother daughter photo shoot. Like how they are color coordinated?

I think Addison knows she's in trouble with that look!

Cutie Puties

Hey all! We had a great weekend in Ukiah, but I don't have any time to post any more photos tonight, since we just got Mario Kart in the mail today. Duty calls!

Lovely Ladies in Green
This turned out a little blurry because Addison is in her swing. This is one of the few smile photos I got though.

Such a cutie!

They Have Nothing to do with Each Other

My mom sent me this mouse agility video today, and I HAD to share it! It’s so silly to think someone spent the time to create such an elaborate course.

My good friend Jaymie is a Pampered Chef consultant, (in Washington), and she recently gave me the link to her online store. THIS IS IN NO WAY TO TRY TO RECRUIT PEOPLE TO BUY THINGS FROM HER. This is solely for your records if you ever need it! I thought it might be handy if you don’t know of a consultant, you can order straight from her website. She has gotten me quite a few freelance jobs, so this is the least I could do for her.

My friend Sarah shared an article through Google Reader the other day that featured this item:

SPY LENS

Description:
I can't tell you how many times I've let a good picture go simply because I didn't think it was appropriate to point the camera directly at the person I wanted to shoot. Well, it looks like my days respecting others is over: this spy right angle lens adapter works on all SLR cameras and acts as a mirror for the lens which means the photographer can take a photo of a Star Jones look-alike (pre-surgery) dressed in neon green pants, a white crochet half-top, and hot pink spike heels while pointing the camera at a pool table on the other side of the room! Dudes, this totally would have come in handy for me last weekend.

Is this not the coolest? I cannot tell you how useful this would have been to have at all the weddings I’ve gone to. I normally have to have John do a fake pose so I can really get a photo of the person behind him. Do not think this is mean or rude! See for yourself! These photos were a must!

This lady was sitting like a real lady...ok, so it was like 1000 degrees, so I will cut her a little slack.

I had never seen a neon flame shirt before, that is why this was a must. If I only had the spy cam, I could have cut John completely out of the photo!

Her shoes totally matched her dress! I thought it was too cute. (See! Some of my spy photography is used towards good!)

Sometimes you need to capture good cleavage.

These are the shoes of someone we actually knew! I had no idea her second job was a stripper!

These totally did not go with her dress...and no...the wedding was not in a barn...or in Humboldt. Those would have been the only way they would have been acceptable.

I think this one speaks for titself, I mean ITSELF!

Ok, so I must admit that I didn't realize how many spy photos I have taken! I can even think of a few others that I don't have on this computer! I can't believe I am actually posting these as well. Oh geesh.

Is that What I think it is?

This past weekend John and I saw Forgetting Sarah Marshall. I had previously mentioned it before in this post because my sister-in-law worked on it last year. I don’t know how many of you have seen it, but let me just say that there is a fair amount of male full frontal nudity in the film. You heard me…frontal nudity. This was quite shocking at first, but the more it was shown the more I liked it! No…not for that reason you perv…get your mind out of the gutter!

After the movie I told John how glad I was that there was some male nudity in the movie. He asked me if I really wanted to see it. I told him no, I did not have a strong desire to see men flapping in the wind, but it is the whole point of there even being ANY male nudity in a movie.

How many of you can name 5 movies where you see a woman naked? Ok…now try to name 5 that have a man naked. Easy right? WRONG! All I can say is that it’s about time that someone, other then Kevin Bacon, has decided to bite the bullet and show his goods.

Who cares if it’s not the most pleasant to look at? Let’s get some male/female movie nudity equality! Who’s with me?

Sneak Peak

Sorry for the lack of posts. I've been reading like a mad woman over the last few days trying to finish my book club book. Don't start thinking I was a slacker and waited until the last week to start reading the book. I actually have been reading it for the last 4 weeks. It wasn't an easy read for me, but I really enjoyed it. The book is called Three Cups of Tea. I'll try to write on more of it later.

We had a nice weekend, which I hope to post about soon, but for now, here is one photo for you from an event that we went to.

Game On!

So I must admit that Sarah is speaking the truth. I can’t help it if I’m totally awesome at video games! She should really be thankful that I’m forcing her to be the best she can be. I mean we all know I’m totally innocent in this situation.

After I had reached my high score I clicked off that page, only to find that it ERASES your score! I know!! So I panicked and had to play again, so I could prove with my screenshot, that I am in fact awesome at this game.

If you would really like to waste some time, check it out.

http://www.hurtwood.demon.co.uk/Fun/copter.swf

Another one of my faves is penguin baseball. I think I got a 319 today. Again...if you have time to waste, check it out:

http://n.ethz.ch/student/mkos/pinguin.swf

In other exciting news…look what I found online today!! Printable temporary tattoos!!! Can you just imagine how much fun you can have with these? Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

Serenity Now

The plumbing problem is now fixed and I now have hot water in the kitchen! Yeah! I mean I was totally going through withdrawals not being able to do dishes. My livelihood was totally in the crapper.

I drove home like a mad woman today, cutting off who knows how many of my neighbors. I only got flipped off once, so I'll take that as a success. I ran inside and scanned the back splash and the cabinet...it all looked good. Then I looked up and saw this:
I really am thankful that that is the only thing we have to repair. Although I was secretly hoping that he wouldn't have to open any part of the wall. I think because the roof line on that part of the house is at a sharp angle he wasn't able to get his equipment in the wall. The total cost was around $875, but I'll have to call him tomorrow to see if the leak was 'sudden accidental' or 'wear and tear.' If it was sudden accidental then we can submit a claim with our insurance. I really hope it was, as I'd like to be able to afford food next week.

So now that the leak is no more I can finally relax a little bit. I didn't realize how stressed out this whole thing made me. Tonight however I had to clean the kitchen, as there was a nice thin layer of dust over everything in the kitchen. Here is a photo of all of my dirty dishes. Yeah right! I don't eat that much! There are also dishes that I had to take out of the dishwasher.
If you click on it and enlarge it, check out the counter. You can see the plumbers hand print in the dust. Too bad I don't have a construction theme kitchen , or I could have totally left it as is.

Prize Please

This past weekend we were really lucky to receive the following two photos via John's bro-in-law's cell phone. We were very excited to get these, as they do not have a computer at home, so we rarely get photo updates. Check 'em out!

Maddy recently lost her first tooth. Here is the evidence:

And here is the letter she wrote for the tooth fairy:

Plumber to the Rescue

I started out today pretty optimistic. I got a good plumber reference from my boss and I'd be meeting him at my casa around lunch time. Things were looking good...until I talked with Jen...who informed me that her mother-in-law had a leaking pipe which caused her tile floor to heat up. That is right...they had to rip out her tile floor to get to the leak. Everything she said after that just became a blur and all I could imagine was all the blood, sweat, and tears that John and put into the floor getting destroyed. I would just die if anything would ever happen to that floor. Of all the rooms in the WHOLE house it had to be the kitchen? The one room I do not want anything to happen to?

Jen told me to stay positive and hope that maybe they might be able to fix it in another way. Boy was I glad I listened to her! The plumber did give me two options, and one was of course to go through the floor, but the other was to reroute a new pipe through the ceiling and down the wall behind the dishwasher. He gave me all the worse case scenarios...like having to cut a hole in our cabinet...having to cut a hole through the dry wall in the ceiling...possibly damaging the tile back splash. Let me tell you that they all sounded fine with me, as long as they would not be touching the floor.

He said he'd come back after lunch to try to locate the leaking pipe and stop the water from flowing through it. I got home tonight and I'm pretty sure he found it with no problem as nothing seems to have been torn up, and the water has been turned back on. So I'm hoping he will be able to return tomorrow and be done with the job! So please keep all your fingers crossed for me out there that, A) He will finish the job tomorrow and B) that the leak will be ruled accidental so that our insurance will pay for some of it!

Calling all Plumbers

I really don't have much to report after this weekend, but I first must ask an important question. Anyone out there good with plumbing? It seems that the cold water in our kitchen sink is now hot. It also sounds like there is some running water in the wall, however we don't see any water leaking out anywhere. We also hear the running water sound in the garage. I had John turn off the water to the house last night and the sounds of running water did stop. Has anything like this ever happened to any of you? I'm probably going to call a plumber tomorrow, but it's all been really unsettling.

Another thing that is really weird, is that our tile, (on the floor), near our dishwasher is really warm...like too warm to be heated by sunlight. I'm not sure if the two are connected or not, but something weird is definitely happening to our casa. No me gusta.

Today was a pretty lazy day as we tried not to melt from the heat. We did get in a few good scooter rides, but I was still really hot on the bike with a tank top and flip flops on! That's right...no bottoms...just kidding! I wasn't feeling that risque!

Two nights ago I was still using my electric blanket, and now I'm using our ceiling fan! What the heck? I'm not used drastic weather changes.

Yesterday we did lend our tile knowledge to Jen and Joel, who are tiling their kitchen. I was pretty excited to cut some tile, as I think the last time we laid some was for our kitchen around 2 years ago. Plus it's always fun to work on a job that isn't in your own home. We wound up leaving before all the tile was laid, which was kind of a bummer, but Jen and Joel had it all under control. I can't wait to see it when it's finished! I know it will look so good. It was getting me excited for when we lay the tile in our bathroom. Oh! That reminds me! I do have an update on our bathroom face lift.

Before we helped out with the tile, we went down to Guadalupe to check out this tile place where you can get counter tops made out of their scrap pieces. This was going to be our last try in getting a new counter. The prefabricated ones at the Depot were $450, (which they didn't even have in the size we needed), so we would have been left with getting a custom one, which were $800+...not including the cuts for the sink, the sink, and the installation.

The place in Guadalupe had a huge selection to pick from, however all of the extra slabs were laying on top of each other, so it wasn't the easiest to see all the pieces. However we did find one! I am so excited! It's a white marble with light gray swirls in it. The total cost came to around $600, which was definitely more than I wanted to spend, but after thinking how it is probably half the price of a custom one from the Depot I justified it. I know it is going to look so much better than what we have now. Plus with it being white it will not clash with the toilet. Priorities people!

So hopefully we will be able to get the counter top installed in about two weeks. Then we will need to make a final decision on what tile to buy. John wants to get some new samples once the counter is installed...which is probably a good idea, but I'm getting so antsy! I told him we need to be 100% done with the bathroom by the time our friends come to visit on Memorial Day weekend. So I may have some photos for you by then...but I also need to make the shower curtain...soooooooo you might be waiting a little longer. Sorry!

Time to Rock!

I just found out today that the Stone Temple Pilots are coming to the Paso fair!!!! I AM SO EXCITED!!! Awhile back I had heard rumors about STP getting back together and possibly playing a few shows. I was praying that they would come and play somewhere in CA so we could try to see them. I guess it's their first tour in 8 years! I think John and I saw them in '96 or '97. Over 10 years ago?? Oh my god! I am so old! Anyway, the concert was SO great! I'm actually surprised I remember it. Geesh! I had paid some extra money through a private ticket company and got John and I 3rd row seats. It was one of the best concerts I have ever been to. In the middle of their set they had a mini acoustic stage drop down from the ceiling where they played a handful of songs. Ah memories….like the corner of my mind…

As I was saying…last week I started hearing the stories about how Velvet Revolver was breaking up. Granted this made me really sad, but if it was a swap for new STP material, then I say go your separate ways you crazy rockers! (For those of you who don't know, the lead singer of VR is Scott Weiland who is originally the lead singer to STP...hence the trade off).

I had been secretly hoping that the Mid State Fair would at least recruit one performer that I'd be interested in seeing this year. It's such a crap shoot I swear, but I've been pretty lucky. Last year we got to see The Bangles for free no less, which was great, and the year before we got to see Velvet Revolver. (We also saw Sheryl Crow and Destiny's Child in previous years). However this year when I heard it was mostly country singers and then John Mayer, I was like...I'll pass thanks. You couldn't pay me to see some of those jokers.

The tickets go on sale in two weeks and I can't wait! I'm really hoping that all their old fans are too drunk/stoned to realize what is going on, so I'll get some great seats. What is even luckier is that we will actually be in town on the weekend they will be playing, AND they will be playing on a weekend! Woo hoo!

You know I started to think…if STP is playing the fair circuit, and they are newly reunited…do you think the New Kids might play the fair as well? One can only hope.

TV Zone

John had me call Charter Cable today to see if we could start getting our channels in HD. So I called, (he couldn't because my name is the only one on the account...don't think I was just doing his dirty work for no reason), and the lady told me that we are already paying for them! What? Well of course it wasn't working, so she had to connect us to her tech dept., which was my que to pass the phone to John. Come to find out our DVR box is so old that it doesn't even have the HD feature. Sooooo a cable guy is going to come out in 7 days to switch out our box...which means that we have to watch everything on our DVR before then!

I told John there was no way that could be done, and he said 'yes there is...if you don't spend your free time blogging!' Dang! Why is he so sensible?

With that being said, I'm not sure how many entries will be posted this week...plus not much has been going on around here anyway. Hope you all had nice weekend!

Blogs Galore!

Now that Google Reader is my new form of crack, I must share some of the interesting sites I have come across. I’m also secretly hoping that these sites will sound SO interesting to you that you will then be inspired to try out the Reader and add them to your blog role! Trust me…you have no idea what you are missing.

As of now I have a total of 78 sites I subscribe to. Now before you start imagining me sitting at my computer on the weekends, unshowered, and drooling, just know that Sarah subscribes to 126 sites!!!! I am not alone.

In our defenses…most of the sites we read only update a few times a week, and some have super short entries.

Most of the sites below I have found from other blogs, but I’ve also found quite a few from Google Reader. On the home page they give you website suggestions that they think you would enjoy. (I’ll try to list the full links of the sites, just in case you want to copy and paste them into your Reader.)

I know you think I may use Google Reader just for fun, but I am also trying to stay up with current events. I am subscribed to two newspaper sites:

Humboldt Herald
http://humboldtherald.wordpress.com/

The Tribune
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/

Ok, so I actually subscribe to 3 newspapers but I’m embarrassed to admit the third…the Cal Poly college newspaper The Mustang Daily. I know, I know...let me tell you that it's definitely not for the high writing quality. However it actually did prove helpful to me today when it had an article about the Cal Poly upcoming football season. John and I are hoping to buy tickets this year and they listed their tentative schedule. I also happened to read a review on an E40 rap concert that was held at The Grad this week. I have no idea why they didn’t write about the concert before it happened, but whatever. I could have totally gone and hung out with the college crowd. I could have blended if I showed enough cleavage and wore a short enough skirt. Anyway, just consider subscribing to your local newspaper or your old hometown paper.

What I Wore Today
http://whatiwore2day.blogspot.com/

Concept
Kasmira takes a photo of her outfit everyday.

My 2 cents
At first you may think this site is a bit odd…well that was my first impression…but now I’m totally addicted. I love seeing what Kasmira creates for her daily attire! I am truly becoming inspired by her. I even tried to buy a pair of bright pink pumps from that $1 shoes sale, but when I checked out they told me they didn’t have my size. I would normally never even consider to buy shoes like that, but after seeing how Kasmira is able to match her yellow pumps with just about everything I knew pink couldn’t be that hard! I definitely say give this site about a week, and if you don’t like it, move on…but I have the feeling you will be yearning for your own yellow pumps in no time!

A Year of Crockpotting
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

Concept
Stephanie is making a dish in her crock pot everyday for one whole year

My 2 cents
I’m not sure where I found this site, but it too has totally inspired me! Ok, so I haven’t made any of her dishes yet, but I really want to. It is amazing to see the things that can be cooked in a crock-pot. Bread pudding? Bread? Baked ziti? Boiled eggs? Broccoli Beef? Chocolate fudge pudding cake? Crème brulee? Coffee cake? They are ALL on her site with photos and the recipes!

Found Cameras and Orphaned Pictures
http://ifoundyourcamera.blogspot.com/

Concept
People post lost photos they find and the details of where they found it.

My 2 cents
Have you ever lost a camera or memory card? Well this is the site that could help you locate your lost memories! This is by far one of the coolest blogs that I have found and I think the more people know out about, the more successful it will be. (If you don’t get anything else from the links I post, at least pass this one on to your friends/family.)

Post Secret
http://postsecret.blogspot.com/

Concept
People all over the world create their own postcards and then write a secret of theirs on it.

My 2 cents
Ever have a secret that you’ve never told anyone and you are dying to tell someone? Well if so, then this is the site for you! I came across it a few years ago, but then somehow forgot the link. (Where were you then Google Reader?) Despite the great loss, I am so glad it came back into my life! The secrets can really make you think...some happy, sad, and odd.

Orange County’s Family Photographer
http://tarawhitney.typepad.com/me/

Ken Kienow Wedding Photography
http://kenkienow.blogspot.com/

Here are two photography blogs. I always love stealing…I mean looking at professional photographers’ work.

I also came across Today’s Creative Blog http://todayscreativeblog.blogspot.com/ in which the author posts about a different creative blogs that she finds.

For you Facebook peeps out there, you can also subscribe to your page, so you can receive your email updates in Google Reader as well.

So PLEASE let me know if you start to enjoy any of the above links, AND if you start to use Google Reader!

**Side note: My friend Jen just started her own blog tonight! Check it out here...and of course add it to your Reader!

Childhood is Nice

I received two new photos of Addison the other day, wearing the o’so stylish onesies I gave her. Check them out below:

I also learned this week that GAP now has 'Baby GAP Home' line. Check out this SUPER cute bedding! Like the colors?

I’m not sure when we will be done with our bathroom. Hopefully soon, but John’s parents will be here this weekend, so I doubt much more will get done.

We picked up some tile samples this past weekend, but after looking at them and trying to match them to our existing counter top, I realized that we really should get a new counter. The one we have now is not in good shape. The previous owners were so rough on the house that it’s stained and has some chips in it and just looks worn. Kind of clashes with everything else looking so new. I'm hoping we find something reasonably priced...I mean even if we get plain white it will be an improvement!

Once we’ve decided what to do with the counter then we will be able to go back and pick out the flooring. We don’t have to be too money conscience since the room is so small, so good-bye sale rack and hello custom rack! Ok, so I won’t go that crazy...but it is nice to shop without restrictions.

In a subject totally not related to babies or bathrooms, did you see this photo in the news today??

Yes you are seeing it right…the new kids…er…I mean MEN are back! Can you believe it? Even after all the rumors I still thought there was no chance of a reunion happening.

They look almost as good as the Spice Girls did in their reunion photo! I mean it’s a pretty big improvement wouldn’t ya say? I don't know why Jordon looks so constipated...or why Jonathan looks like he' rather be anywhere than there...I really hated Donnie's 'tough guy' phase.

Now all you ladies need to go out and find your black-rimmed hats and bring that style back! I’m sure Joe would appreciate it.

Online Shopping Adventure

Last week my friend Sarah shared this blog entry with me on Google Reader. (Could I add any more links into that sentence? Probably if it's a challenge!)

$0.99 shoe sale? Are you kidding me? Did I just die and go to heaven? I always knew there would be a time in my life where I could shop freely and not have to worry about cost or functionality…but did it really have to happen in my post life? Why am I complaining? Good question…there is no need.

Anyway, Sarah informed me that they had really limited sizes left, which figured, but once I found out she was an average size 7 my hopes got higher!! Is if finally paying off to have HUGE feet? Will I now be able to tease my friends about their average sized feet? Redemption day is here!

My fingers could not move fast enough to click on that site! Sarah was right though…even for size 9's there still wasn't a lot to choose from, but I did find one semi cute pair.


I started to check out and the site says "ERROR you must spend a minimum of $10." What the crap? Now I see how this scam is working…but do you think I closed that browser window? Heck no! I went on to find me another pair. I mean I had to spend more money to get the cheep shoes, right?

So I find these really cute brown ballet style shoes:

I've got to buy as many of that style as possible before they go out of style since they are so comfortable. Then I will try to wear them as long as possible until I start getting looks from people. You know the look…it's the look I give to people I see wearing an acid washed jean jacket, or mom jeans, or a shirt with the armpit holes cut out of it. (Travis Barker has adopted this as his style, and it is SO BAD! I mean do his pits sweat that bad? Doesn't he know what Botox can do for excessive sweating?)

In case you forgot...Kip fell victim to this horrid fashion trend as well. I know you can't really see it very well in that photo, but this is the scene where you see WAY more of his body than necessary.

Where was I? Oh right…so I was about to place the order and I started to have some doubt…I mean did I really want to give this shoe site the satisfaction of making money off of another sucker on the Internet? Decisions, decisions. Luckily I had my handy human 8 ball, (AKA Sarah), near by. She asked me "would you pay $30 just for the cute ballet shoes?" I said 'yes' and she said 'well quit acting like wiener and buy them!' So I did. In the checkout process, I didn't have to enter in my email address = no invoice, and I paid through Paypal. Kind of odd, but I've done that before.

So a few days later the shoes arrived, in this awesome packaging!
Does this imply a reputable shoe company or what? I have never received anything purchased online delivered to me like this. So I sighed…then decided to check out my new treasures. The $1 pair looked good and cute, and I think I can wear them for maybe 3 hours before they start to hurt my feet. Score!

I take the second pair out and for some reason it won't fit on my foot!!! I was so confused! I kept trying until I realized it was a size 5.5!!!!!!! I was so mad! How could they have shipped me a 9 and a 5.5! I totally felt like they were just dumping off a pair on me that they wanted to get rid of. I mean the ballet shoes looked so cute in person and had nice soft edges, for painless fashion! How could they be the wrong size?

So I check the boxes to see where my invoice/return slip is, and I can't seem to find it. That is odd, don't you think? Plan B - check their website for return/exchange info. I log on and cannot find ANY information on returns, or their return policy. Oh crap! This really is the scam of all scams! Can you imagine? Setting up an online store and then leaving the customers NO WAY of contacting you? I mean that is brilliant, and I wish I would have thought about that before them!

So I check my email and see that I did get a notice from Paypal when I made my payment. There was an email address in the email, so I used that to email the 'so-called' shoe store. However, I didn't have any info from the order…only the Paypal receipt number, and the package tracking number.

I get an automated reply that gives me a phone number for help. Perfect! I was totally starting to get sweaty pits…maybe I should have bought an elongated arm pit hole shirt from them.

The next day I call them during their business hours, and it's busy. Hmmmm that is odd. So I call again…and again…and again. It was busy EVERY TIME! They sure aren't worried about receiving the Best Online Customer Support of the Year Award, now are they?

So the next day I complain to my human 8 ball and she was just as appalled as I was about this scam! Right after I complained to her about how the line was always busy I decide to try to call it again, and it rang! I was so excited! So I chat with this friendly fellow who told me that I did in fact order a 5.5…whatever dude. I still don't believe it. He gave me all of the necessary return info and that was that!

I felt really good after the phone call, but I just checked their website a few minutes ago and they no long have the brown flats in a size 9! I guess I can only hope that they set the last pair they had aside for me when I called. I mean that sounds totally practical doesn't?