A Christmas Miracle

A couple of weeks ago, my reindeer van shed one of its antlers. I was sad.

Tim didn't care - he thinks they're stupid.

Then I realized I had made a bank deposit earlier that day and it most likely popped off when I had rolled down my window at the bank drive-in. Maybe it would still be there?? So I went back to the bank at about 10pm that night, looked around, but alas, no antler. I was sad again.

I've been driving around town for the last two weeks debating about whether or not to just take the nose and lone remaining antler off, because it just isn't right without the other one.


Yesterday, I needed to make another bank deposit. I rolled up to the drive-up sucky machine and, after waiting a minute or two, the teller came on the little tv screen.

She said, "Hello".

Then she smiled really big and said, "Are you missing an antler?"

I said, "Yes".

She said, "We found one in the parking lot a while ago...I'll bring it down to you."

Seriously? Who finds a stuffed antler in their parking lot and keeps it for two weeks in the hopes that they might find the single-antlered vehicle roaming around?

It made my day.

Quote of the Day by Tim

The other day Tim and I were talking about some of our friends and their characteristics and comparing ourselves and how pathetically mellow we are, almost to the extreme. And the conversation ended like this...

Liv: "Well, you do have a little bit of a grumpy streak. Especially when you've had a bad day at work."

Tim: "I know! I hate being grumpy, it makes me mad!"

I almost peed my pants. Not so much what he said but because it took him a second to realize what he'd just said. It's my new favorite quote.

Haircut

I haven't had my hair professionally cut in probably 16 years. Mainly because my hair is fine and flat and crappy and I could never find anyone who could figure out what to do with it. And also because I don't really care. I'm not a girly-girl by any means. But recently my hair had gone beyond frumpy, even by my standards, so I decided I needed to take better care of myself. My sister in law had recently had her hair cut super-duper cute by a childhood friend, Sarah, so I decided to give her a shot. I LOVE it! It is sooo easy to style and the messier it is, the better. I finally found someone who knows how to cut my hair...and she informed me she is moving to California in April. CRAP!!!

Not the best front shot, it looks pretty standard, but trust me, it's CUTE!

Seriously, my hair has never looked this full in the back!

Thank you, Sarah!

Quote of the Day by Andrew

Last night, Andrew was laying in bed telling me about sliding down the stairs at his friends house. I told him about the big house I grew up in that had lots of stairs and the plastic mat we would use as a taboggan to slide down and crash into the wall at the bottom. And the banister we would slide down. We compared stories and reminisced. I smiled and said, "I wish I was a kid again."

Andy: "Why?"

Me: "Because it's a lot more fun."

Andy: "Oh yeah...you have absolutely no idea how fun my life is."

I wish you could have heard his intonation and seen how big his eyes got when he said that...it was priceless.

Craft Fairs

I've been super busy crafting lately and have completely flaired up my carpal tunnel syndrome. It's definately a love/hate thing - this crafting business. Anywho, you can find me at a couple of up and coming craft fairs in Missoula.

Saturday Nov. 28
City Life Center
1515 Fairview Ave (near the Fairgrounds)
9am - 3pm

Saturday Dec. 5th
Hellgate Elementary School
2385 Flynn Lane
9am - 5pm

I will have lots of super cute Christmas items so be sure to stop by and get some of your Christmas shopping done!

Look for 'Knick Knack on Wood'...that's me! Hope to see you there!

Magruder Corridor

Back in August we did a car camping trip with some friends of ours. It was great fun, especially since Mike and Jessica did ALL the cooking. Tim and I had our first experience with bacon spam...not too bad, I must say. And beings that we had 3 proper English folk with us, well, that just makes it even more fun...the accent and all. We made them take turns telling the nightly campfire ghost stories because it's just way cooler with the accent. And we learned the difference between a 'crumpet' and a 'bit of crumpet'. There's a big difference.

The first day, we stopped for lunch at this bridge near the ranger station.

Thanks to my mom and dad for letting us borrow their truck. It wasn't much of a mini-van road.


Our first campsite.


Tim gave lessons on how to start a fire without matches. He's such a good Boy Scout...


and a cute one at that.


Speaking of fires...this one must have been super hot. It burned several years ago and there was still absolutely nothing growing.


The guys, sans Paul...not sure where he was, maybe nature called


Speaking of nature calling...

(it looks like a cliff but trust me it wasn't steep)


Our first camp site had been super dusty. The second camp site was GORGEOUS. We had two crystal clear creeks on either side of us and it was so lovely to get in and clean up.




Mid-air high-five...


Ghost stories...


Driving out...Andrew was pooped!


We spotted this very cool rock formation on the way home.



To be continued...next stop, Weir Creek Hot Springs.

Halloween 2009

Making creepy apple heads...





Carving pumpkins...






School party...



Trick or Treating with cousins...




Eating...



Letting Tanner clean up...because he had asked me about a dozen times if he could play with my vaccuum...

You have to know him to understand.

Trying to teach an 8 year old boy the delicacies of women

Last night, the three of us were wrestling on the floor when Andrew said,

"Hey mom, you are a big whale and you need to sit on..." Tim promptly cut him off.

Tim: "Andrew, there are a few things you never call a woman. A big whale is one of them. Women don't really like to be called animal names unless it's like 'fox' or 'chick' or 'ski bunny'.

Andrew giggled.

Five minutes later...

Andrew: "Mom, you're not a big whale, you're a pig."

I don't think he gets it.

Strange things

Yesterday, my sister became a grandma. Which makes my mother a great-grandma and me a great-aunt. I mean, I've always been a great aunt...fabulous, in fact...but now I'm officially great. Anyway, where has the time gone? When did we all get old? And seriously, do I have to relive the '80's again. I saw stirrup pants at the store the other day...for cyring out loud, STIRRUP PANTS!



PS. Congrats Chris & Michelle! It's freakin' me out, but congrats.

Quote of the Day by Andrew

Tonight, Tim was complaining about some tiny little red bumps on his arms.

Andrew: "Dad, can I see?"

Tim showed Andrew his little red bumps.

Tim: "I must have fleas. I probably got them from your mom. Did you know your mom has fleas?

Andrew: (without missing a beat - but with a BIG grin on his face) "Yep, that's because she's a flea-male."

A story for Monday

I'd been noticing a squooshy wet spot in my neighbors lawn adjacent to my garden.

It wouldn't dry up.

Last night I told Tim we should go over to her house and let her know she probably had a leak in her underground sprinkling system.

So we did.

We asked her if we could dig for her and try to find the leak.

She said "please".

So we did.

We found a sprinkler line running directly under the squooshy spot but oddly it was in perfect condition - no leak.

It got dark.

We postponed our investigation.

This morning our neighbor had to go to work.

Tim had the day off so he put on his camouflage clothes and went to Walmart. (Don't ask).

I decided to resume the dig on my own.

I found the leak.

A weed paper stake had worked it's way through the MAIN...I repeat, M-A-I-N...sprinkler line.

And I rediscovered my knack for saying a few choice words when it's appropriate for the situation.




THE END

Quote of the Day by Andrew

Andrew: "Mom, what are those things called that old people wear in their ears?"

Me: "Hearing aids?"

Andrew: "Oh yeah, those. I want some for Christmas."

Me: "What?"

Andrew: "When I go to Ben's house, and Kayla (Ben's sister) starts talking it's really annoying and I could just turn the sound off."




Priceless...

Diet Coke and Mentos

We've been wanting to do this for a long time.



Very cool but not quite as cool as this.

A cowboy of sorts...

Andrew disappeared into the office the other day for quite awhile. He was dead quiet. He likes to go in there and steal all my computer paper, staple the sheets together and color the pages. I was busy in the kitchen and just figured he was in the office making a book.

Then, several minutes later, I heard him wrestling with his dad in the other room and he was laughing hysterically. Tim and Andrew wrestling every night is pretty much tradition so I didn't think much of that either.

But then he comes around the corner and approaches me in this get-up...


He looks at me and says, word for word...

"Hello, I'm Cowboy Barbie and I hate to tell you this but I just kissed your husband."


Tim and Andrew have a long running Barbie war going on...but seriously, where does this kid come up with this stuff?

Huckleberry Heaven

Tim and I thought we missed out on the huckleberries this year. Thanks to a diligent sister-in-law, we can stuff our faces with all things huckleberry for quite a while. Karla found a great spot ridiculously close to town, that's just covered with berries. Red ones, purple ones, blue ones, fat ones...pure heaven!

The kids each picked about 5 berries before they got bored and decided to catch grasshoppers instead. We had sandwiches and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows and came home nice and stinky and purple. Lovely!