Tick-tock, Tick-tock

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Don't forget!  My 400th Post Giveaway ends soon.  There's still plenty of time to enter!  Don't forget to leave a comment on the post.  If you don't comment, you're not entered!

Happy Birthday!

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On this day last year, Al, Wally, and Hazel entered the world!

Wally (in the middle), as you know, still lives with us.  He isn't so little anymore, but he's still our baby.

Happy Birthday!

Also, don't forget to enter my giveaway!  There is still plenty of time to enter for a chance to win!

400th Post! Product Review & Giveaway!

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Holy moly, readers!  This is my 400th post!  When I began my blog back in November 2007, I never thought that I would still be writing two years later.  Or, for that matter, that people would actually be reading my blog.

But that's neither here nor there.

To thank you for all of your wonderful comments and support over the last two years, I want to thank you with a giveaway!  Yeah!

But first, I want to talk about a product I've been using for the last two weeks.

Two weeks ago, I received the Chic Flic toGO whitening pen and lip shine plumper.  I've been using the product for the last 14 days and love it!  It has a double-ended applicator -- one for the whitener and one for the lip plumper.  Each end also has a convenient mirror and LED light so that you can see what you're doing.

Here's what I thought of each one:

Whitener:

Pros: I actually really like the whitener.  I have been incredibly busy the last month or so with school and work.  Since the whitener doesn't have to be brushed off, I can toss the product in my purse and use it on-the-go.

And that's just what I did!  When I parked my car at school in the mornings, I'd dig out my whitener, put it on my teeth, and head into class.  I even whitened my teeth while at work.

It also did not make my teeth sensitive, which other at-home whiteners have done.  I have stopped using other brands in the past because my bottom teeth become sensitive to cold temperatures after using them for a few days.

Cons:

Lip Shine Plumper

Pros:  This actually works.  It works quickly.  My lips are naturally a very light color and this product works by causing localized swelling of the blood vessels in the lips.  It also made my lips bright red, which was a bit of a shock.  I was impressed with just how quickly it took effect.

However...

Cons: In working quickly, it did cause a bit of discomfort.  The first time I put it on, it was downright uncomfortable.  I was not expecting how quickly it would work, so the stinging took me by surprise.  It also has a lot of glitter in it.  The purpose is to make your lips really shiny, but it just seems like a lot of sparkle for day-to-day life.

In conclusion, I would definitely use the tooth whitener again.  My front teeth don't have a lot of staining on them, but some of my teeth on the side had a bit of discoloration.  Just using this product twice a day helped minimize the yellowing and returned my pearly whites!  Of course, I would show you before and after photos, but I didn't take any.  I apologize, but I had a zit the morning I started it, so there was no way I was taking a picture of my face.

Here's how you can win a Chic Flic toGO Whitening Pen & Lip Shine Plumper and Whitening Pen.  There are three ways to enter.  Each will earn you one entry.

1.  Leave a comment answering the following question:

"Are you dressing up for Halloween?  If so, what is your costume?"

2.  Become a follower of my blog and write a post on your blog about the giveaway.  You must leave a comment on this post letting me know the URL to your blog so that I can find it.

3.  Follow WhiterImage on Twitter.  Leave a comment telling me your username once you're following them.

Yes, I will be checking and verifying that you have, indeed, followed the rules to make sure no one is trying to be sneaky.  Also, you must comment on this post once for each entry.  For example, the post for Entry #1 will contain the answer to the question and the post for Entry #2 will say "I'm following them on Twitter and my username over there is ______."

The contest will run though 8PM (central time) on Sunday, November 1, 2009.  I will post the winner late Sunday evening or Monday.

If you're interested in purchasing the products for yourself, WhiterImage has generously provided me with a coupon code to share with all of you!  If you use the discount code IMAGE2 during the checkout process, you will receive a 15% discount PLUS free shipping!  That's not all, though.  Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, 10% of every sale will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation!

Good luck, and thank you for all of your support!  I hope we can continue on this little adventure for many years to come.

Tasty Tuesday

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I want to try something a little different today and I need your help!

I am looking for new recipes to try out.  Not only will it give us new meal choices, but maybe I'll get better at cooking (I can hear my husband laughing now).

Now where, you may be asking, do you come in?  It's easy.  Post a recipe on your blog and post the link in the form below.  Not only will you be helping me find new recipes, but you'll be helping yourself as well.  The links will appear and you can check out other readers' blogs for ideas, too.

Here's a recipe I posted back in June.  I hope that y'all post some tasty recipes so that I can try one out and feature it on next week's Tasty Tuesday blog!

Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies

Cookie:
3/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup self-rising flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 cups oatmeal
3/4 cup raisins (optional)

Filling:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
3 3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
In a bowl, cream shortening and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, water, and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, and cinnamon, then gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in oatmeal and raisins.

Drop onto greased cookie sheet. Flatten slightly. Bake at 325F for 13-14 minutes.

In a bowl, combine filling ingredients, beat until smooth. Spread the bottom of half the cookies, top with remaining cookies.

Yields: 3 dozen

Five Random Things

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1.  When I was in the 7th grade, all of my friends had boyfriends, while I remained single.  I spent much of the year upset and worried that I would have to become a nun.  Unfortunately, this also upset me because I was not Catholic.  I then worried I'd have to be the cat lady.

2.  I will read anything.  I'd read the ingredients on the side of a bag of dog food.  I'm also incapable of putting down a book without finishing it.  Even if the book is horrible, I have this need to know how the story ends.

3.  I will watch any movie that Gerard Butler is in.  I know, he is notorious for being with many women and is an all-around bad boy.  It doesn't matter, he is Man Candy.  My husband wanted to see a movie the other day that, under normal circumstances, I would not see.  He told me Gerard Butler was in it and I said I'd meet him at the theater after work.  It doesn't hurt that he takes his shirt off in any film he's in.  I wonder if it's in his contract...

4.  When my husband is out of town, I watch the Hallmark channel or Lifetime.  I probably watched five movies over the weekend and probably cried during every single one.  My husband would have teased me if he had been here to witness it.  Of course, if he had been here, I wouldn't have been watching.

5.  In the 10th grade, I had mono.  It was the "best" diet ever.  In ten days, I lost 15 lbs.  Of course, it helped that the illness prevented me from being hungry.  I drank a lot of water and ate maybe two cans of spaghetti o's and a piece of toast that week.

Misadventures in CNA Class

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My CNA class is underway and keeping me B-U-S-Y (as I am sure you have noticed thanks to my serious lack of posts).

In class, we have to learn certain skills in order to pass the state certification test.  One of those skills is taking blood pressure.

Easy enough, right?

Apparently it isn't so easy for everyone.  Especially when they're being tested over it.

I went and did my blood pressure test with an older woman.  I let her go first.  She acts like she knows everything and seemed to be doing fine while practicing last week.

Apparently she doesn't do well under very minimal pressure.

On her first attempt, she forgot what the bottom number was and left the blood pressure cuff inflated at around 40 mmHg.  As she sat frozen, I had to ask her repeatedly deflate the uncomfortable cuff on my arm.  She tried several more times, always getting flustered, always making an excuse.

On the fifth try, she got so frustrated that she ripped the stethoscope out of her ears and threw both it and the blood pressure bulb on the desk.

Did I mention that the cuff was inflated to approximately 150 mmHg?

Uh-huh.

It hurt.

While she threw a little temper tantrum, two things happened at once:

First, the tester raised her voice (which she never does), telling her to deflate the cuff.

Second, I ripped the blood pressure cuff off of my arm.

The tester continued to lecture the woman about deflating the cuff and that if I had been a patient, I would have been yelling and causing a scene.  I have lines of thin bruising from where the inflated cuff pinched my arm.  It's still a little sore.

The woman started going on about how she's obviously not as good at this as I am and that I'm so much better than she is.  Um, not only do I not know this woman, but I'd also not had my turn yet!  It was incredibly frustrating.

So, there you have it.  The Misadventure of the day. 

Meet Choppy!

Pin It Now! This is Choppy, my new food chopper.

I purchased Choppy about a month ago.  My original food chopper held only two cups and had a crack in the lid.  I wasn't planning on buying a new chopper.  That is, until I saw this one.

Originally, this beautiful Kitchen Aid appliance retailed for $49.99.  That is just a little too much to pay for something that just chops up food.

I picked Choppy up for $7.  Oh yeah, seven dollars.  Isn't that a bargain?  I love it!  It's stainless steel, so it matches my toaster and canisters.

Welcome Back!

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Wow.

It has been nearly a week since my last blog.  After doing such a great job of writing almost every day in September, I have been doing an awful job the last couple of weeks.  So sorry!

So... here's a quick update on everything that's been going on in my life lately:

-- School.  Oh, school.  It has been keeping me B-U-S-Y!  Quite busy.  We've finally started working in the skills lab and applying what we've learned, so class is beginning to get a lot more interesting.

-- Kitchen Project.  Since school started two weeks ago, the kitchen progress has slowed down considerably.  The last window is finished and painted.  We have a step-ladder now, so I can finish touching up the ceiling and top of the walls.  We've also been shopping around for counters and backsplash tile.  I can't wait until we move onto the next project, but with school keeping me so busy, it may be a while.

-- Blog.  I'm working on an exciting giveaway!  Keep checking back to find out what it is!

-- Christmas is just over two months away!

Okay, so there was no real point to the last one, I just wanted to mention it.

Anyway, nothing incredibly exciting going on around here.  I have a few photos to post in the next few days.  I promise this dry spell will end soon!

An October Trend?

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I was looking through old photos and noticed a pattern.  It seems as though every October, I get sick of my hair and chop it off.  With the exception of 2007, I have had a major cut in October since 2005.  Here's the proof:

Here I am in 2008.  Ignore the fact that I look absolutely horrible in this photo.  I'm like a ghost!  Where are my eyelashes?  Anyway... This was a big cut.  Four months earlier, my hair was nearly to my waist for the wedding.  Two weeks after that, I got my post-wedding haircut, which I loved.  This is right after I got a promotion at work and thought I should have a more sophisticated haircut.  What I ended up with was a tiny, one inch ponytail and a lot of headbands.

This is 2007.  It was nice and warm that month, as you can tell from the tanktop I am wearing.  Look at my hair!  It was so long and pretty and soft and just... yeah.  It was great.  Why do I get tired of this?  Split ends, mostly.  My haircuts are generally pretty spur-of-the-moment decisions.  This was on its way to being amazing wedding day hair.

Here's 2006.  I really need some lipgloss in this picture.  I miss those big sunglasses!  I dropped in the seat of my car one day and accidentally sat on them.  Whoops.  They were a touch big for me, but don't tell my husband that.  He hated these, so I wore them constantly.  Anyway, chopped off hair.  Why?  No idea.  It's not as though I was hot, look at the sweatshirt I'm sporting.

And last, but not least, here I am in 2005.  This was the second chop in six months.  In August 2005, I cut 13" off of my hair and donated it to Locks of Love.  Apparently, shoulder-length wasn't good enough, so I cut even more off.

I might be crazy.

Not this October, though!  I'm growing it out again!  I have been quite lazy about my hair the last six months and have been wearing it in a ponytail or messy bun.  Every.  Single.  Day.

Let's see what I can do about that.

Another Award!

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Kim gave me an award!  I'd like to accept this award on behalf of all of my readers -- both faithful commenters and lurkers (come out, come out, wherever you are!) -- for my blog would not be what it is today without your support.

Annnnnnyway... It's the Over The Top award.  I have to answer all of the questions with one word responses and pass it on to six other bloggers.

1. Where is your cell phone? table

2. Your hair? disasterous

3. Your mother? home

4. Your father? work

5. Your favorite food?  macaroni

6. Your dream last night? none

7. Your favorite drink? water!
8. Your dream/goal? graduation
9. What room are you in? dining

10. Your hobby? blogging…

11. Your fear? wreck
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? happy
13. Where were you last night? work :(

14. Something you aren’t? thin

15. Muffins? pumpkin!

16. Wish list item? lens
17. Where did you grow up? mid-mo
18. Last thing you did? homework
19. What are you wearing? clothes...

20. Your TV? off

21. Your pets? chi-chis!
22. Your friends? LB!
23. Your life? busy
24. Your mood? blah
25. Missing someone? family

26. Vehicle? mys-take*

27. Something you’re not wearing? shoes
28. Your favorite store? target
29. Your favorite color? red
30. When was the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? Yesterday**
32. Your best friend? Michael
33. One place that I go over and over? Lowe's
34. One person who emails me regularly? Facebook
35. Favorite place to eat? home

* It's a Mercury Mystique. A few years ago it has several problems and became the Mercury Mys-take

** I cry a lot.  I'm emotional.  If I have a strong feeling, I tend to cry.

OH!  And the blogs I nominate are...

1. Sarah @ Classy & Fabulous

2.  Melissa @ Simple. Positive. Happy.

3.  Little Woman @ Little Woman, Little Home

4.  Laura @ The Horton Family

5.  Aimee @ Waters World

6.  Tristan @ Tristan*Time

LTD Treasures

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I was browsing through the LTD website today and ran across some of the most interesting treasures.  In case you aren't familiar with LTD, I thought I'd be a pal and share some of the best finds from this evening.

This little beauty is a pen holder/tape dispenser.  I literally laughed out loud when I saw this.  I immediately started wondering who I could buy one for, but couldn't decide.

Star Wars bobbleheads, anyone?

Okay, I'm not sure about this one.  It's an incense burner.  Where does the incense go?  It confuses me.  How strange would it be to go and visit a friend and see a log cabin incense burner on the side table?

And what about these?  Wow.  Tattoo leggings.  That's really all I have to say about that.

The Kitchen

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Bet you did not expect me to follow through on posting photos of the house, did ya?  It's okay if you didn't.  I've been incredibly busy this week and have wanted to do nothing but curl up and go to bed, so cleaning and taking pictures has not been high on my list of priorities.  Sorry, it's true.

But don't worry, this evening I tackled the room that needed the most elbow grease -- The Kitchen.

Oh, yes.  The kitchen.

As you may know, our kitchen has been the focus of our current home-improvement focus.  I posted The Plan back in August.  It has been changed from the original plan a couple of times, but many of the same elements still remain.

If you remember, Phase 1 involved replacing the cabinet doors/hardware, and getting a new countertop.  We looked at doors at Menards today (we were in four different hardware stores today.. four!) and they were $16 each.  Yikes.  We have 18 cabinets and five drawers.  That's a lot of money.  We also could not figure out which type of material we wanted for our countertops.  We've finally decided to go with a laminate.  Of course, we aren't getting new countertops until we paint the cabinets.

Oh, yes.  We're painting the cabinets.  Do you remember what our cabinets look like?  They're not very attractive.  We're planning on going with simple white cabinets.

So there's where Phase 1 stands.

We've really started with elements of Phase 2.  I've painted the walls and have purchased new outlets and switch plates.  Yay!  This will make a huge difference, especially since we have at least three or four different colors and color combinations going on in that room at this time.

We also stripped the paint off of the first window frame and repainted it.  I have to say, it looks really good.  We ended up pulling out some of the boards and replacing them, but only because there was SO. MUCH. PAINT.

Anyway, I know what you really want to see.  There will be more pictures as we continue the project.

Here's the kitchen -- in March 2009 -- before we moved in.  So bright.  So inviting.  Note the horizontal line of blue at the bottom of the window.  That's what started the whole window mess.  That darn blue paint.  But gosh, look at all of that cabinet space...

Here's the kitchen today.  Ignore the pile of dishes in the sink.  A certain husband used my sponge to wash paint from something and they're too big to go in the dishwasher.  Annnnnnyway... Not a whole lot is different.  You can see a bit of paint on the right and the window is a mess.  It is a work-in-progress.  Oh, and all of the wonderful cabinet space?  Guess what's in the uppers?  Nothing.

Here is my best friend, my glorious stove, where I cook many a delicious and gourmet meal.  Oh, who am I kidding?  I probably cook more in the black box on the right.... Moving on.  The stainless steel range hood is on the list of things to go, but not until we find a new one that we like.  It does match the accessories, though...

Here are some of the kitchen accessories that are allowed to stay out.  On the far left you have my beautiful, new, IKEA cannister, followed by two of the canisters we received as a wedding gift.  My poor microwave is probably nearing the end of its days.  Wait... how long do microwaves last?  I've had this one since 2005 and it was used.  Okay, whatever.  That brown plaid disaster on the right is my toaster.  I found it in my grandparents' attic.  It's awesome.  It's stainless steel and the doneness (is that a word??) gauge is in shades of brown.  Very retro.  The toaster cozy was on it when I found it.  I'm planning on making one to match the accessories I'll eventually purchase, but for now, it's amazing.

The door on the left goes to the back porch and yard.  See the blue?  First of all, who would do that?  Seriously.  It's the same blue that was on the window frame on the right.  Speaking of which, how amazing does that look?  Toxic chemicals, a couple of power tools, and it looks brand new.

My husband wanted me to draw your attention to the window.  Again.  He replaced the inside part of the frame.  He wants to be recognized for his hard work.  Oh, and there's my green paint.  It looks different than it does in real life, but the lighting at 9:30PM isn't the best in my kitchen.

Oh, look... more blue.  The radiator now sticks out like a sore thumb.  Just imagine that with a white radiator cover over it.  

Show Us Your Life -- Tailgating & Favorite Times

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Kelly over at Kelly's Korner has a new 'Show us Your Life' post up today.  I haven't participated for the last few weeks because they were about children.  Since I don't actually have any children, I chose not to post.

So anyway, this week's SUYL is all about.... COLLEGE FOOTBALL!!!

The husband and I are University of Missouri alumni, so we are big fans of Tiger football.  I went to the Homecoming game with my dad and brother every year.

Here I am with Re-Pete (dressed up as Truman) and Laura at the 2006 Homecoming parade.

Me and Dad at the game.  It rained, and rained, and rained that day.  It's the first game we ever left early.  We had parked nearly a mile away, so it was an unpleasant walk.

Here I am with my brother.  So much rain.  So cold.

2007 was a much better year.  It was the same time of year, but it was MUCH warmer.  It was the first game I experienced with Michael.

Here I am with my brother again.  He's wearing a Mizzou jersey.  I'm jealous.

Go Tigers!

Catching Up

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To clarify, I wasn't upset with my department manager about the box incident last night.  In our department, we tend to joke around.  The "heavy" box toss is normal for us.  I often pretend to be really girly -- whine about dirt, heavy boxes in topstock, and talk about my cute socks.  I do it just to give him a hard time.  We like to have a fun time while at work.

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I wore rather bright clothing the last two days.  I realized that all of my darker shirts are in the dirty laundry, so I've been dressing like a Skittle.  Yesterday, I wore a pink long-sleeve shirt under a teal Mizzou shirt.  The weather today was pretty gloomy, so it made me feel better.

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I am very attached to my cell phone.  For the last two days, I've turned it off from 7:30AM - 12:30PM.  It made me oddly uncomfortable yesterday.  I'm so used to reaching down to check the time on my phone or looking at my e-mail.  Having it turned off is somewhat strange.

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I finally painted the kitchen!  The first coat is up and drying.  I really like the color.  I tried to take a picture with my phone, but it's late, so it looks like a different color.  I cannot wait until it's all done, it's going to look so good!

Oh, and we have nine foot ceilings.  They're really great.  They make the rooms look so much larger than they are.  Of course, they're not the easiest thing in the world to paint, especially if, like us, you don't own a ladder.  My right arm is still asleep from reaching up with a little paintbrush!  I'll post pictures after the second coat is dry and my fridge is back against the wall.

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It's only 6:30 and I am ready to go to bed.  Unfortunately, I am also just now starting on my homework, so it's going to be a while.

What a Day!

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WHEW!

It has been quite the Monday here in Ettaville.  I have been up and on the go since 6:30AM.  I had my first CNA class this morning at 8AM.  I'm not going to lie, it was boring.  It was just an orientation for the class.  Nothing really exciting.

After class, I had to run over to the health department to get my tuberculosis test done.  Then, as seems to be a Monday ritual, I went to the grocery store.  I know, not very exciting.  Sorry.

I had to work this evening.  The department manager and I worked on Christmas crap.  Listen to what a swell guy he is.  He was getting boxes off of the top shelf and handing them to me.  He picked up a large box and really appeared to be straining under the weight.  It made me wonder what the heck he was getting down.  As I asked that, he said, 'here ya go!' and THREW THE BOX AT MY HEAD.

Yeah.

I screeched and threw my hands up in front of my face.

The box was EMPTY.

Yeah, like I said, swell guy. 

Date Night!

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So the hubs and I had a little date night this evening.  We had a quick dinner of Taco Bell, followed by a trip to Lowe's (where I had just spent four hours), and a movie.  Romantic, right?

We only went to Lowe's because we needed some things for the kitchen remodel.  I hope to have some new photos to post in a day or two.  Only time will tell, though.

Here's the movie we saw this weekend:

It was actually pretty funny.  I was surprised.  I loathe all alien and zombie movies, so when I saw that 'zombie' was part of the title of the movie, I was hesitant.  But with Woody Harrelson and that Michael-Cera-wannabe, it was pretty humorous.

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In other news, I begin my CNA class tomorrow!  I am both excited and nervous about it.  Orientation is in the morning.  I'll let you know how it goes.

All right, back to laundry...

The Bathroom

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It occured to me yesterday that I have not posted many photos of our new house since we moved in.  I am a horrible homeowner, aren't I?  I've decided to remedy that, though.  The house is currently pretty messy, but I'm going to give it a good scrub and post pictures one room at a time.

Because it's the smallest room in the house, I decided to start with the bathroom.  I know, I know, not the most exciting, but it's a start, right?

This is me!  I wanted to show off the apron I made last month that I have failed to post about.  Cute, right?  It needs a pocket so I can carry my iPhone on me and jam while I clean.

 

This is the view from the door.  The shower, toilet, and linen closet are on the left and the vanity is on the right.

Here's the vanity.  It's boring.  I do love the drawers, though.  I've never had a vanity with drawers.  I have all kinds of goodies stored in there.

Here's the toilet.  Yeah, not very exciting.  The point of the picture, though, was to show off the cute built-in next to it.  I can't decide what to put on the shelves.  So, for now, the top shelf holds my makeup, perfume, and magic potions (also known as hair and skin products).

Here's a view from the window.  We have two towel racks.  We could have ten towel racks and my husband still wouldn't hang up his wet towels.  I do not understand!

Here's the last photo.  I really like our shower.  It's basically enclosed, which means all of the lovely steam stays in the shower and keeps me nice and toasty.

We want to do some work in this room, so you'll be seeing these photos again.

He Needs A Hobby

Pin It Now! My husband needs a hobby.  This is what he does with his time.

I've received three messages on my phone this evening containing other gems similar to the one posted above.  This one also made its way to facebook.

Pin It Now! Hi everyone. I'm having Internet troubles this evening, so there will
be no regular post. On a positive note, I blogged 29/30 days in
September! Hopefully, I will be back tomorrow with a regular post.

Check Out This Giveaway!

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Head over to Reviews By Suz for a chance to win a $100 Visa giftcard!  This week she reviewed Ragu products.  We use some of the products she reviewed on a pretty regular basis and agree with her reviews.