A snow day

It's been snowing non stop all day. I kinda like it.
Thankfully I have a good man who will shovel the drive way and hang up the lights.

It's snowy!
B and me felt all grown up when we got our first snow shovel. Funny how we felt these trips to Home Depot for a hose/rake/drill/shovel/etc were milestones.

In the mean time, Tally and I snuggle in to our newly decorated tree. It's a black friday walmart tree we got like 3 years ago and is a good little tree. We've also figured out how to fill it up which makes it super shiny.

Today I also worked on my 'office christmas presents' - Banana Bread in a Can. I'll wrap it cute cute ribbon or something. It actually turned out really well!

Did I tell ya that the chicken strike is off? We tried EVERYTHING to please them - and I think what broke the strike was the agreement for a later curfew. Ben adjusted their light to turn off at 10p instead of 8p. Now we get 3 to 4 eggs a day! So great! My favorite part of that is 4 eggs a day from 4 chickens MEANS that little Winny - who we raised from a chick and survived 2 brutal attacks -- is all grown up, well adjusted, and reaching her full potential. (cuz one chicken can't make 2 eggs a day). ... I just wish I knew which one was hers!

Halloween 2010

Here are a couple pictures from halloween...

Tally's just got her little red dress :)

And then - there was super Reg. I made this little red super hero costume. Or a mexican wrestler?
He has the perfect face for a mask - with a little wrinkle above his nose to hold it in place. What a good sport.
Also - need to show off this awesome pumpkin carving job Ben did. He did this just before we left for the rally. Totally his own design!!
This is J. Stewart btw.

Between 2nd and Walnut street

Friday October 29th - Ben and I had a couple hours to kill Philadelphia.

The weather is luke warm, the leaves are pretty, and the streets are crowded. We had a few hours to spare before we were to meet up with Katey (our Philly host). So we found a park bench and decided to observe the natives. However boring this sounds, I think we laughed and giggled the whole time.

First was the "Party Ride". ...



The party bus was loads of fun. a gaggle of girls with sleeveless dresses in late October is amusing -not to mention they tuxedo-ed counter parts all had a "beverage" of their own.

After the party bus moved on, the creatures of the night appeared. Mind you this is Halloween weekend....



The Lizard man came back down the road about 15 minutes later and I asked him if I could take his picture. He says "wait wait..." and puts on his mask and claws and then starts hissing towards me.
....Dude, it's a picture. Not an audition.


Next was M. J. Who was all put out to pose. You dough head - don't come out dress like you want attention and then be mad when you get attention. This other kid (who actually looks like throw-back M.J.) is free loading on my photo opp.



This guy was hilarious. He originally came chasing Katey from across the street asking if she wanted a drink. Kinda freaked her out but he was a good sport.
"What? I dress like this every day?".. he says...

"People watching" is a past time I learned from my Dad. I remember hangin' at the ZCMI food court and Dad commenting on how people have different kinds of walks.
The people of down town Philadelphia are fun to watch. :)

Rally to Restore Sanity

Well. If you didn't know Ben and I went to the Rally to Restore Sanity in Washington DC --- we don't talk enough.

This trip will have to come in a couple of different posts. But should start with the crowning jewel of the trip. About 2 months ago, it was announced that The Daily Show and the Colbert Report was doing a rally for the 'moderates' of the country. Only Ben can really tell you how much I flipped out over this - and really how much I wanted to go. 1) for fun 2) to be a part of this historic event (i knew it would be huge) 3) I really do consider myself a moderate and struggle with the extreme points of view and competitiveness that our 2 party system can often be made up of.

I'm going to skip right to the rally - 2 days into our trip.
We were staying in Philadelphia with a friend... 2 1/2 hours from Washington DC. We were up at 5am and making the 2 hour drive through the corner of Pennsylvania, Delaware, and parking in Maryland metro station for another 1/2 hour ride into Washington DC. Thankfully - we had been to DC last April and new our way around the Mall well.

2 1/2 hours early - we followed an already enormous crowd to the capitol. Picking up towels, buttons, stickers, signs along the way -
(I'm putting up some videos. Not the most flattering of me or award winning - but you'll get the idea).




We hustled to the mall and actually had the chance to stand/sit up pretty close near the stage! But - Ben had the smarts to sacrifice about 100 feet back to be positioned in front of the first screen/speaker. Which was the best idea. Otherwise we wouldn't have been able to see anything.
For the next couple of hours Ben held our spot (studying) while I went on a picture rampage.

People were pretty eager to get their pictures taken.
The magnitude of people was what was amazing. AMAZING. 215,000 people. Every cool, calm and collected. Of course there were signs out to legalize pot - and if you watch any of the videos you'll see beach balls bouncing through the crowd - they all say legalize pot. But whatever.
215,000 people.



When it was time to start - we were crammed in there pretty darn tight. That's when I reminded Ben he was a genius for putting us in front of the screen.

Bottom line. Jon Stewart is awesome. The rally was fun, moving, and refreshing.
If you soak up anything from this blog post - please let it be Jon's explanation for the rally.

I can't get the video to come up here.... so please - WATCH - here.

Grilled Cheese Project

A favorite past time of mine and Ben are food 'projects'. One of our first was with apples - picking up one of every kind of apple, slicing them up, and comparing them side by side. This is when I learned that I just love pink ladys! and other super crisps. Other projects have included olives, chocolates, and root beers!
Over the last few months we have been collecting cheeses from the cheese bar at Harmons. Today Ben had the GENIUS idea to have a grilled cheese sandwich project. WWHHAHAHA!
We had a little baguette hanging around - which was perfect for little bite size sliders.



In the running was Extra Aged cheddar - Smoky Gouda - Butterkace - medium cheddar - and blue cheese (with granny smith apple slices).



Throw in some Castelvetrano Olives .... you got a pretty DANG good sunday lunch.

My vote is for smoky gouda - Ben's is for the age cheddar. Head on over to the store and get to know your cheese bar! Pick up a baguette or ciabatta loaf for an airy crunch.

The strike continues..

Alright.... We are still working to please our hens. They have been on strike for several weeks and cut off all egg production in the mean time. And because they are girls - they are offended that we don't know what they are feeling and can guess their needs. Sheesh.

The current theory is that they are molting. Apparently something chickens to once a year - molt out their feathers and grow new ones. Generally happening with the onset of colder weather.


During this time - about 2 months - we shouldn't be expecting any eggs. While we wait for christmas eggs - Ben has installed a light in the roosting box for light at heat and hopefully part encouraging egg production. (yes - we've equipped the coop with electricity by running an extension cord across the yard).
Okay chicks. We'll provide the most stylin' and up to date coop available - making any other hens in the neighborhood envy the Sharples Flock...
... and you'll give us some of these...
And these.... (every notice that Reg is always in food pictures - whether or not I'm trying to crop him in?)

DO WE HAVE A DEAL?

Oct. Update

Well. The good news is we got 5 eggs during the first couple of days we had our new hens. Bad news. No more since then!! This mystery is driving Ben and me nuts. Do they need more sun light (put in a lamp?) Do they need more calcium? (put in a supplement) Do they need a special box? (put in a nesting box) WHAT IS THE DEAL?! I figure they are on strike and will be until I can figure out what their demands are. Cable? Heated roost? Chinese take out? JUST TELL ME!


In other news it's that time of the year again. Christmas knits. Which kills me because I would really like to show it off... but all four people that look at this -- I'm making things for. So that's silly. I'm going to make an effort to have a big post christmas knit post. Show off the goods. Put your requests in now! 2 down and 8 to go.

A Flock

Chickens have turned out more challenging then I originally thought. And not the chickens themselves - but everything else that wants to eat them for dinner.
As you know, in April of this year we got 2 little black chicks and raised them up. However last month "something" dug under neath the coop that Ben build and snatched one of them up for supper. Pretty sad.
I managed to get us a couple more - totaling 3 blackie chickens. Not 3 weeks later 'something' came back around for a chicken nugget at the Sharples... found that we'd make it hard to dig under the coop --- so 'something' PULLED the wire right off the side of the cage!!!
...and picked off the 2 new ones. More sad. Interesting though that the same original hen has made it through both attacks.
And with some 'fighting skills'. So much so that we are concerned that she might be a ROOSTER!
Ack! That would not be good.
Ben read up on some strange behavior tests and tried them out in the back yard. We couldn't get a definitive answer but Tally has developed an opinion of her own.





Poor Tally.

However. Reggie doesn't think that "It's" that tough.






Don't worry. Winny survived but certainly was put in her place.


Because one chicken is a sad chicken (and just in case Winny is a rooster) we found 3 more in the ksl.com want adds.



The guy we got them from says that they are already laying!!! Ooooh!!! I made them a little box/bed with some hamster bedding in it. Ben thinks that's not necessary -- but I've tried to explain to him 'women need a 'spot' to do their thing'.
Needless to say that we'll be up bright and early to check for eggs.
:)

Jib Jab part 2

Here's another one Ma. :) HERE.
(you are welcome to the fun - even if you are not my Mom).

Jib Jab :)

Jib Jab strikes again. Video for Mom. :) Click HERE For the Child Family version.

I need to take some pictures for these videos. These aren't the best fits...

Please can i have this?

Mom.
This is what I want for christmas. :)

Where to rest your rump.

Ben and I have been sick the last couple of weeks --- I have lost control of the house. So - all .... ALL of today was dedicated to cleaning the house. Not straightening - cleaning. And I didn't even get to the 2nd bedroom and basement!
**Let me just side track here and shout out in wonderment to my mother - how did you clean our HUGE house in a day? I BARELY finished the kitchen, front room, laundry, bathroom and one bedroom. You had all that times 5.

Anyways. One of my projects was to clean a rug. Two days ago - Ben and I were gone longer then usual during the day and Mr. Reg had an 'accident' on the rug.
To get to it, I had to unload 5 shelves of a book shelf and move it off the rug, spray it down with a hose twice, scrub with a soapy brush, spray down again - hang dry (hang damp more like) , shove it in the washer, hang dry and spray with febreeze, bring inside and sprinkle with baking soda, vacuum it up..... and I go to put the vacuum away and look whose fat butt is sitting on the rug...

2 minutes later I get the towels from the dryer and leave them on the front room floor for 30 seconds to come back to......
WHAT IS WITH YOU?!!?!

Invaders

Ben and I are united in the effort to keep spiders out of our home. We take the defense against these invaders very seriously. Much like Robert Neville in I am Legend - (it is that intense and that scary..)





.. and like the clip.... yesterday - one got in. (I'm sure there is more then one in the house - but this one is huge). Ben and I were just hanging out, watching 30Rock... and I spotted it. The kind of big that you can see every leg from across the room.

Smaller then silver dollar - bigger then a quarter size.
I was not okay. Ben - trying to stay cool and calm just says "I'll get it with a paper towel" (which is what he usually does with the little ones). In the mean time I rant on about how THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE and I CAN NOT LIVE IN THESE CONDITIONS WITH SUCH LOW SECURITY and laundry list of things I would do the following morning to insure we would not have another breach.
Ben walks across the room with paper towel hand.... and freezes 4 feet shy of the beast. Then turns to me and says "That's a really big one. I'm kinda freaking out."

A plan was quickly put together - removing all things it could run under and escape from us. Ben questions --as we pull away pillows and blankets in a 10 foot radius... 'why do we have such primal fears of these things!?!'

Armed with squirt bottle of bleach set to stun and a tall glass vase to trap it (and be able to see that we've trapped).... we review the battle plan before moving in -- I was to shoot it with the chemical, causing it to run right and corral it towards it's glass prison. Bleach proves to be a paralyzing agent lending itself easy to capture .... this time.

As I have always done - I slide a book/paper/magazine - and in this case a book AND chunk of cereal box until the vase and carry the prisoner outside to the front porch.... where it will sit as a reminder to other invaders what happens upon entry.

I've done this trap-them-under-a-cup/vase/mason jar-then carry-them-out-side-to-burn-up method all my life. Especially in my teenage years - at any one point in time during the summer there would be a couple of mason jars on the back porch with shriveled insects in them. I'm sure I'll be questioned about this when I get to the judgment bar -- why I torched heavenly fathers creatures.

Once detained and secured - investigation on what type of creature follows for the next 1/2 hour UNTIL Ben runs across you tube videos of spider bites. WHOOOAA!! Time for bed.
Ben gets up and walks towards our bedroom. I ask him, as he crosses the lanolin floor in his bare feet.... 'are we going to be okay? ' He replies ' of course we are.... '

... but then steps on a rubber band - which scares him so bad he nearly busts through the roof and does a mad sprint to the bed.
I really laughed for the next 15 minutes.

True story.

Sneek Peek

Ben is working at a local grocery store. I went to visit him and snapped a picture of him in his 'element'. Isn't he cute?
We have rotations to finish through May 2011 and his last 6 weeks will be in Logan! Coolness. After that we're (hopefully and probably) off to do a residency for year - most likely out of state.

In other news , I am a proud new Mommy to a ksl found washer and dryer.
I've been going to coin and parents for nearly 10 yrs! I totally deserve it :) They certainly aren't new. During the spin cycle - I need to sit on it to keep it from walking away.
Here is the question of the day. ...
Why are laundry rooms the scariest room in the house? I mean... what the heck is this stuff???

A roof over your head.

Chickens are totally moved in. Have been for a couple of weeks and they are really doing great. They've learned to 'roost' on their own and we are looking forward to eggs in a couple of weeks.

Ben comes home from work and checks on them every day. Winny is much more okay with being held and loved then Bentio - she's too in dependent.

Get out of there Reg. This is just a picture I wanted to show - this was the last thing we needed to do - the roof. The whole coop is 9 ' by 4' (ish) and ben wanted one solid piece. How are we going to get that home? Then, we were really smart and tied it to the roof with the doors shut so we had to climb through the windows. :)
As a side note - if you haven't seen the new mormon messages - you must see these. Very well done!

BLUE RIBBION WINNER!

Ben would tease that he's putting his bread in the fair but not tell you how he did. Rude huh. He won BLUE RIBBON for his french bread - plus some special cooking award. (see the red oven mitt?) And Red ribbons (2nd place) for his White bread and rye bread.

Anyone want to put in an order? :)