Search Results

Some of you may have noticed that I added a little hit counter when I did the site re-design. One of the things this allows me to do is see how people find my site.

I don't think I even want to KNOW what this person was looking for when they found my site!!

Whatever it was... I don't think they found it here!!

Car Trouble

"It's a blown head gasket," that's what he said to me when I answered the phone on Saturday afternoon. At first I thought he was joking. When we dropped his jeep off at the car dealership on Friday evening because it was overheating we thought it was just a bad thermostat, or that the water pump was going out. This... this I had not planned for.

"So how much is that going to cost?"

When he told me, I wanted to cry. We had planned to use our tax refund to do some traveling this summer, now it looks like it may be used to fix his jeep. I know that there has to be a reason for this. Everything happens for a reason right? I'm just hoping I can see the purpose for this quickly because right now, it just SUCKS!!

Weak

This morning I looked in the mirror and gasped. Holy crap woman!! You look pregnant!! (Before you read through the lines... NO I am NOT pregnant!!) You need to get your big butt out of bed in the morning and walk on that treadmill!!

Then I got to work, someone had brought donuts. Chocolate donuts people!! And I'm WEAK!!Okay, just one donut, I'll eat a good lunch.

Then 11:30 rolled around. My PB&J was NOT calling my name. So, I went out with a friend and what did I order? Fettuccini Alfredo. Probably the thing on the menu with the most calories and artery clogging stuff.

For some reason, I don't think I'm quite grasping the losing weight concept.

Sleep more...work less...

How do you know when you should have stayed in bed a little longer?

You set your tooth brush on the counter, open the drawer, take out the deodorant and take off the cap before looking down and going WTF??

Luckily I stopped before I lathered deodorant on my toothbrush.

Spam

When I got back into the office this afternoon I went to check my spam filter. In my in-box I see this:

We offer Midget Sex

I tell you people, it took all the strength I had to delete that and not open it!!

Who reads this stuff??

Baby Steps

"Did you empty the dishwasher?"

"No, I didn't know it needed done."

"Well you heard me run it last night."

"Sorry, I didn't think about it. But I did bring my dirty dishes into the kitchen and I put my TV tray away, I thought you'd be proud."

"Yes dear, I'm proud."

We Hamiltons... we work in steps.

Small Steps...

Small Re-Design

Some of you may have noticed that I re-designed the site a little. Well, as much as I was able to, given the constraints of blogger. Anyhow, that picture to your right, yes, that really is me, no it's not a great picture. However, considering the number of pictures I have of me, that one will have to do for now.

The other big change is that I added a few, okay a lot, of people to my blog list. It was WAY over due. I left off the people that I have just started reading, or who I read, but don't update much. I tried to include everyone, but if I missed you, please let me know. Also, if you would like to change the way your name displays (I just used the blog titles) let me know that too.

Monday Madness

This is River. He looks different doesn't he? In case you are wondering:

1) Yes, his legs are completely healed, he is sitting sideways because he has just been fixed, and if you had just been cut open you would probably be sitting like that too.

2) No, this picture has not been photoshopped in any way, it was just a good photo opportunity that my mom monopolized on.

As for me, this is how I feel this morning. I'm on my 8th straight day of working and now I remember why I usually take Sundays off. It makes my weeks WAY too long when I don't get a break!!

Heartbroken

Annie

The cat we rescued when she was a baby, has passed away. She was fine on Friday morning and then Friday afternoon she started having breathing difficulties. My mom took her to the vet on Friday evening and he thought she just had stress induced asthma from getting fixed a day or so before. He gave her a shot of steroids and told my mom everything would be fine. Two hours later she was gone. My mom is heartbroken. Please send your kind thoughts her way, I know she would appreciate it!!

Tag, I'm It?

Holy Crap, I've been tagged.... It's a good thing I was paying attention on this wonderfully gorgeous, oh why do I have to be inside, tax day. (Topic for another post). So, without further ado...

Four Jobs You've Had:

1. Does it count as a job if you didn't get paid? Well, I'm counting it. I was a hog house cleaner. When I was younger my mom thought it was a good idea to have me and Lindsay clean out the farrowing house in-between litters of pigs. Come to think of it, I think maybe we did get some money for this, so yes... this was my first job.

2. Busser at Prairie Meadows. Never, ever again will I work in food service. The pay wasn't bad (they're required to pay a certain amount over minimum wage, some casino thing) but I'm not big on handling other peoples left over food. The only good part... they have a KICK ASS weekend breakfast buffet where they always make way too much food. So we used to hide in the back and eat off of the trays that were waiting to be taken out to the buffet line.

3. Front desk at a hotel. We once had a group of Hispanic men stay and they told us there was only going to be three people in the room, but the owner saw a BUNCH. So he unlocked the room and found pieces of bread hanging from the light fixture and a picture of Jesus on the wall. They (all 10 of them) were asked to leave. He also hung out in the back smoking camel no filter cigarettes all day long. He would never help you, he just hung out in the back watching.

4. Babysitter. I used to watch several kids when I was in highschool. There was one family that I would go over there almost every day in the summer so the mom could run errands. I was in highschool and of course stayed up way too late, so I would take naps when the kids did, or sometimes when they were just upstairs playing.

Four Movies You Could Watch Over and Over:

1. Runaway Bride
2. You've got Mail
3. Sister Act
4. Save the Last Dance

Four Places You've Lived:

1. In a Dorm Room in Ames, IA
2. In an Apartment in Ames, IA
3. In a mobile home (you guessed it) in Ames, IA
4. In Altoona (Boring aren't I? I know live 15 miles from where I grew up. We never moved and the only moving I've done is to go to college and come back.)


Four T.V. Shows You Love To Watch

1. Survivor
2. CSI (Pick one, the original, NY or Miami)
3. Close to Home
4. Crossing Jordan

Four Favorite Books

Okay, I'm taking a cop out on this one. I can not remember the last time I read a book, or more importantly what my favorite books are. I love to read, I just don' t ever have time to do it. My biggest problem becomes once I start a book, I can't put it down until I'm finished. So if I'm going to read, I have to have LARGE scheduled chunks of free time.

Four Places You've Been To On Vacation

1. Orlando (3 times... LOVE Orlando!!)
2. New York
3. Washington D.C.
4. Colorado

Four Websites You Visit Daily

1. All the one's at the right (my list REALLY need updating!!)
2. KCCI.com (local news station)
3. It's tax season... I don't have time for more than that...
4. Did I mention it's tax season... I don't really even have time to be writing this...

Four Favorite Foods

1. Pizza
2. Fettuccini Alfredo (newly acquired)
3. Chocolate (that encompasses most of my diet)
4. Burgers and Fries

Four Places You'd Rather Be Right Now

1. Home
2. On vacation
3. Somewhere warm (who am I kidding, it's 53 degrees outside, I'd just like to go OUTSIDE!!)
4. Playing with white tigers (doesn't really matter where as long as they are tame and don't eat me... yeah... not being eaten is sort of a requirement)

Four People You're Tagging

I'm not big on tagging people, mostly because, I'll admit it, I'm not sure I have 4 people who read this site who haven't #1 already been tagged, or #2 Don't even have a blog. So, I'm leaving it open. If you see this and would like to participate... go right ahead. I'll read it!!

Cleaning Poem

I asked the Lord to tell me
Why my house is such a mess.
He asked if I'd been 'puttering',
And I had to answer "yes."

He told me to get off my butt
And tidy up the house.
And so I started cleaning up...
The smudges off my mouse.

I wiped and shined the topside.
That really did the trick...
I was just admiring my work...
I didn't mean to 'click.'

But click, I did, and oops I found
A real absorbing site
That I got SO way into...
I was into it all night.<>

Nothing's changed except my mouse
It's very, very shiny.
I guess my house will stay a mess...
While I sit here on my hiney.

-Unknown (sent to me in e-mail)

Logical Reasoning

"I'm just calling to let you know I'm on my way home."

"Okay, is there anything you want me to do before you get here?"

"What do you mean?"

"To help you out, is there anything you want me to do?"

"Well, there are a few dishes on the counter you could wash and put away. Pixie got up there last night and knocked one of the cups down so we should get them off the counter before something gets broken."

"Okay"

(20 minutes later, I arrive home. No dishes are done.)

"Well you know, I was thinking about it. Dad says the dishwasher part will be in tomorrow, so I figured we should save some dishes to make sure it works."

Now what's our excuse for the laundry??

The Little Dishwasher That Could...(or couldn't)

On Saturday Keith came over to install a dishwasher in our kitchen. I know, we've lived there for three and a half years with out one, how have we managed? It's been tough. There have been SEVERAL times when every piece of silverware and every glass we own was dirty and then we would decide, maybe we should do dishes?

So, on Saturday, we decided it was time. Keith had gotten this dishwasher about 6 or 8 months ago from a client. They were just moving in and were getting all new appliances and new floor coverings. When he saw the dishwasher sitting on the curb he immediately thought of us. They assured him that there was nothing wrong with it, they just didn't want it, so he loaded it up and put it in his garage. That is where it has sat since.

Right after he got it, I was really excited about putting it in so I cleared a few weekends in a row for him to come and help Jake put it in. Something always came up. So, every couple of weeks when I would go to his house, I would see it sitting there, very much alone. It was like a visitation program. I could visit, but it could never come home with me.

Finally, last week I decided enough was enough. Keith needed my help getting some paperwork in order so I told him I would spend all day Sunday doing his paperwork, but the following weekend he was at my house whether he liked it or not. Well, that seemed to work. Saturday when I got home from work I had a dishwasher. I now have no where to store my medicines and tupperware, but that's an entirely different battle. One I'm willing to fight at another time.

Saturday when he left he ran the dishwasher to make sure it did not leak. We did not see any water so Sunday he came back and put the front cover on and away he went. About 30 minutes later Matt was in our basement attempting to fix an electrical problem when I hear, "Did you know your dishwasher is leaking?"

Yes, my friend, my free dishwasher is leaking. They think that it sat so long that the seal dried out. I hope that is the case, because there is no turning back now. If it costs too much to fix it we will have to get another one, otherwise we now have a place for a built-in dishwasher, and no dishwasher.

Is this why they always say nothing is as good as it seems?

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Last night I stopped by Jake's dad's house. While I was there Jake's future step-niece, if things continue to work out, (are you scratching your head, okay, here's the LONG version, Jake's Dad's, Girlfriends, daughter's, daughter. Told you the first one was easier) came up to talk to me. I was wearing my Columbia coat (because it is winter, and I'm under this fantasy that if I continue to wear it maybe it will get cold outside). This coat has a pair of gloves in each of the front pockets.

She patted my coat in the front and said, "Are you going to have a baby?"

I proceeded to lift up my coat and explain to her that no, I was not going to have a baby.

Maybe I need to get back to that New Year's Resolution!!

Iowa Blogger Bash

Wow, it has been five days since I have posted last. What is wrong with me? I think this is a new record. Oh, wait... it's TAX SEASON, yes, now I see the problem. I come to work at 7:30, I leave work at 7:30, doesn't leave much time for anything. YUCK!!

Anyhow, I found out about the Iowa Blogger Bash this weekend from Brent's website. At first I thought, wow, I could go to this and meet other bloggers from Iowa. Then I noticed that Joe is the one putting together the Iowa Blogger Bash. Well, scratch that off my to do list.

There are two main reasons I will not be attending this year's Iowa Blogger bash and Joe is the first one. What's my beef with Joe you ask? Absolutely nothing. However, I do not, in ANY way want him to know about this website. As far as he is concerned I do not blog, do not read blogs, and am naive to the whole concept. I think it needs to stay that way. I can not go into exact details, although I'm sure with some mild creative thinking on your part you can probably figure it out.

The second reason that I will not be attending is because WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?? Maybe it is just the people that read his website, and therefore are more technical but these people are geeks. I know, it's not nice to judge, but really, most of their blogs are "technical" or "legal" blogs. Now, I realize that to blog on the internet, all of us have to have at least a little bit of geek in us, but I think these people take it to the extreme. If I'm going to hang out with a lot of bloggers, I want them to be bloggers that blog about their lives and have interesting stories to tell. Maybe it's just me.

Roomba

Many of you have asked about the Roomba, so I thought I would answer your questions. The Roomba, in its self is a good idea. I like the thought of being able to push a button and then let it vacuum by its self. However, it is not exactly that simple.

The Roomba can not see (obviously) so it cleans your rooms basically by running in a pattern and bumping into things as it goes. We tried running it in our dining room with the chairs still in there and it took 45 minutes to vacuum the dining room. It would have taken us 10. So, we moved it to the kitchen and moved the kitchen chairs out and it did a much more efficient job.

It does motivate you to keep things picked up, because it is a lot like a regular vacuum in that it will get clogged if it runs over the cords to the blinds or anything else that is small. We are unsure how well it runs on carpet, as all we have is hardwood downstairs, (Don't ask why we haven't taken it upstairs. See the above comment about having everything OFF the floor) but it went over some of our area rugs nicely.

On top of the Roomba is a blue light. If it goes over a particularly dirty spot, say where someone with mud on their shoes has tracked in (I know no one like that!!), the light comes on and it will spin in circles until it has picked up all of the dirt.

Sylvester and Lex are less than excited about the Roomba. It is somewhat noisy (Imagine running your carpet vacuum on your hardwood floor) so it would probably be better if we ran it when we weren't home. The first night we ran it every time it would head towards them they would jump onto the couch or the kitty tree for protection. Then they would jump down when it turned the other way. At one point Sylvester wanted to see how tough this thing was so he started to bat at it. The Roomba continued in his direction, so he gave up and went back to the couch.

While the fact that it cleans without much effort from me is very nice, I would have to say that the BEST part about the Roomba is the fact that it is a robot, and for that reason, and that reason only, Jake thinks it's a toy. In the three years we have lived in our house I think he has run our vacuum five times, and always under protest. In the week since we have taken the Roomba out of the box he has run it twice. I think this is looking VERY promising!!

We were even discussing it this morning as we were getting ready to leave.

"Hey honey, did you know that you can drive the Roomba like a remote control car."

"Yes."

"That is SOO cool."

Hey, whatever gets him to clean!!

Creative Cleaning

On Monday I asked Jake to help me with some cleaning around the house (oh the travesty!!) because we had to clean before we could use the Roomba. Seems kind of counter productive doesn't it? One of the things I asked him to do was to clean the kitchen counter. When I came downstairs I noticed that the vacuum was running. As I walked into the kitchen I saw that my husband, creative genius that he is, was vacuuming our kitchen counters.

In case you are wondering, he was not using the dust buster. He was using the actual floor vacuum. It looks something like this. When I asked him why he told me he didn't want to get crumbs on the floor.

I got to tell ya, he gets and A for effort and creativity on this one!!

Progress

#1 Pushed button on Roomba, watched it clean for 20 minutes. (Some time saver huh?)

#2 Breakfast - Caramello & Mt. Dew

#3 Out of bed at 5:20, left house at 6:20... no time for walking

#4 Did laundry yesterday, everything is clean

#5 The day is still young, but if my breakfast is any indication I could be in trouble.

Well, two out of five isn't bad. That's 40%.....

Happy New Year!!

Happy 2006 to all of you out in blogger land!! Here are my New Year's Resolutions… hopefully by publishing them for all the world to see, I will actually stick to them. (You can stop laughing any time now!!)

#1) I will vacuum our house every day once a week at least once every other week. (Did I mention that my parents got us a Roomba for Christmas?)

#2 I will cut back my chocolate intake to once twice only as often as necessary to keep me sane during tax season.

#3 I will use our treadmill as more than just a clothes hanger. I will get my lazy ass out of bed and walk 1 hour 30 minutes every morning every other morning as often as I can. (Did I mention to you that the fat jeans I have that used to be baggy on me are starting to fit me??)

#4 I will do laundry once a week when Jake runs out of socks instead of just going to Wal-mart and buying more socks.

#5 I will limit my pizza and greasy food intake to twice three times per week once per day.

Okay, so I'm trying people. Give me a break. (Give me break, break me off a piece of that Kit Kat Bar. Mmmmm…. Kit kat…..)

So what are your New Years Resolutions??