11.13.2008

My Top Ten Favorite Products

1.Tide- I love Tide! I don't know what I was thinking before I tried it. If you haven't, seriously, it's worth it. It gets out any stain. Even things that had even been washed and dried came clean. I can not say enough good things about Tide...

2. ALL free and clear-unfortunately, Emma is allergic to Tide :) So this is a fantastic substitute. To be fair, I haven't tried to get out anything as tough as I did with Tide, so it might be just as good. It is actually probably a little better, because it doesn't irritate her skin.

3. Sally Hansen nail and cuticle pen- it was inexpensive, and it does a wonderful job of hydrating your cuticles and your nails at the same time. It comes in a tube that looks like a pen. You turn one end to get the product to come out the other. It is dispensed onto a little brush, so it is really mess free! The biggest reason I went for it though, is that you don't have to rinse it off, and you don't have to put it on and wait for 5 minutes. I must admit, I have even used it at red lights!

4. Vaseline healthy skin and nails-the best lotion ever.

5. Infant swings-what did they do without them? No wonder women died early, they were just so tired and stressed, that maybe an eternal rest didn't sound so bad...

6. A modern washer and dryer-ok, so I know there are very, very few people who use the old fashioned kind now. But, when we moved in with my grandpa, he has an old washer that had a motor to wash, but you still had to wring the clothes out after you rinsed them. And, (correct me if I'm wrong, dear siblings) but I am sure he did not have an electric dryer either. So we spent a lot of time doing laundry. Now, I only have four people to do laundry for, and I wash a load just about every other day. I cannot imagine how bad we would stink, how chapped my hands would be, and how tired and behind I would be without these modern conveniences. I think knowing that just a couple generations ago they did not have such a thing makes me appreciate it that much more.

7. Fruit of the vine-maybe this isn't technically a product. But, after a long hard day, when my stress level is through the roof, nothing beats a lovely glass of wine, or a cheap homemade margarita (the kind that comes in a big plastic bottle, with the name of a cheesy restaurant on it, and the tequila is already in it).

You know why there was so much "fellowship" in biblical times? It's because they had wine people! The story of water being turned into wine is a classic example. Jesus made more wine because he knew that without it, it wouldn't be nearly as fun. :)

8. Coffee- need I say more? This should probably be closer to the top of the list. Hmm...washer dryer vs. coffee.

washer dryer vs. coffee

tough call...

9. A computer-there are days when this is the only outside life I get. My sanity may be in perilous danger without it.

10. My camera-I am able to freeze time with the push of a button. I absolutely love to pull up a chair and flip through some old albums. I believe it's a luxury we take for granted. Once again, it wasn't so long ago when it wasn't so easy to take pictures, and not everyone had a camera.

The runner ups include a garage, chap stick, slippers, and the printing press.

:)

11.03.2008

picture this

When I was an early teenager, I received call waiting for my birthday. I had been begging for it for a long time. It started with an incident when my dear mother lost track of time, and I waited for a long time to get picked up. Each time I called home I listened to that dumb busy signal, and I wasted no opportunity to recount this to my parents in an effort to bend their will to mine. Admittedly, I also wanted it so I could talk to as many people as possible in one sitting.
Close to my birthday, as I was sitting in the dining room talking on the phone, I noticed a beep. I didn't really think much about it. Later on that day the phone rand and it was my dad. He had news, the beepy phone call meant my wish had come true. Call waiting at last!
A few years later, my desire was for a phone in my own room. So, the relentless begging began, and ended with my dad telling me that if I helped, he would install a jack in my room. As one can imagine, I was ecstatic.
So, it doesn't take much effort to relate to the apple of my eye. I can easily see, as can you, that I have successfully passed on my love of the phone to her.



















She loves that thumb!














She is a good mommy, most of the time. There are moments when she leaves baby behind as she takes the stroller for a spin. There are also times when she is careful to bring baby with her, then immediately hands her off to her dad or me. (at least she is responsible enough to find a babysitter) Everyone needs a break though, right?





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cousin play time

On Saturday, my husband's cousin (who is actually a double cousin, which I think is cool) came over with his wife and their two children. I don't know if the girls knew what to think of each other at first. They were each a little shy. But, after loading them up with pizza, and turning on some great toddler tunes, they decided this was fun. Claire hadn't quite made up her mind about dancing, but Emma went over to her and took her hand and coaxed her to the "dance floor". And they had a ball! Claire informed me that she was friends with Emma, but made sure to say that she was friends with her brother, Fisher, also. The girls are about 8 months apart, and they live only an hour away! So, I think we are all pretty excited that they can be good friends as they grow up.



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