Happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Hope your New Years Eve was amazing!  I plan on doing nothing today.  Movie day with the family and veggin on the couch! Jake was nice enough to get cinnamon rolls for last night at the store for this morning! 

Delicious goodness!  I'm not a big cinnamon roll fan but we haven't had them in a long time and it was super yummy!!! 

I do have big plans (in my head) to organize my pantry and try to make that jewelry thing out of old handles.  Jake doesn't think he can get them off the sample board though so I might have to imprivise somehow...  Hum.  Thinking caps is on. 

Right now Jack is on my lap, Chrissy is on the couch and Jake is sitting in the chair next to me.  We all look dead.  How come staying up on New Years is so different than any other night we'd (well Jake and I, Chrissy only gets to stay up that late on New Years and one of the family Christmas parties) stay up?  I mean this last week we would go to be at midnight and get up for work and be just fine.  Is it the food?  Maybe...  All that crap delicious food we only make during the holidays...  My mouth is watering just thinking about it all!

Not too much to talk about because yesterday was just resting up for the get together last night.  I'll leave you with some pictures of our night last night and hopefully I will have some project pictures to share!


Chrissy waiting for midnight!



Beckie and my mom ringing in the New Year!



Not the best picture but my baby and I ringing in the New Years!  She made it!



This is how Jack rang in the New Year.  He didn't make it!  HAHA!!

 Until Tomorrow!

New Years Resolution & Pinterest

Happy New Years Eve!  I hope everyone has a safe and happy time tonight!  We are just staying home with some family and friends.  It will be nice and relaxing and I can be comfortable all night!  What more can you ask for!  That's the best way to start a new year!  So have you thought about your New Years Resolution?  I have, sort of...  I have a few and I think I can keep these. 

1. Stay positive and don't feel bad if you have to ask for help.
2. Organize the house better.  (I think I can actually do this now thanks to Pinterest!)
3. Empty the old house so when (notice I'm staying positive instead of saying if) it sells this year I won't have to do it then!
4. Play outside with Chrissy more. 

I think that is all for now.  Notice there is one thing that is usually on everyone's new years resolutions that isn't on mine?  Did you guess?  Lose Weight...  Not because I don't need to, trust me I do!  I just figure I am not going to put that on there and not stick to it like every other year that's been on my list!

So talking about my list notice number 2.  Pinterest was mentioned...  Why did I not know about this website sooner!?!  I am addicted.  I love crafting and coming up with ideas.  I love to figure out how to make crafty things myself because I can make them for way cheaper than the stores sell them!

So last night I started my first second Pinterest inspired craft!  (Second you say?  Where is the first?  Well,  they are gifts and certain people who will read this haven't gotten them yet.  Once they do I will post that project too.)  So here is my inspiration from pinterest:

It occured to me when I was looking at this my newly remodeled shower has some fancy tiles in it.  I could try to make this with the left overs.  So here is a peak at my shower:

So I had 2 strips of the fancy stuff left.  My friend Stephanie got a ton of picture texts as I worked my way through this project.  (Thanks Steph!)  Once I got the vision going I couldn't stop!  Oh the possibilities that I could do...  I couldn't fit the tiles into one large frame because of the sizing and the fact that I do not own a tile cutter!  So that didn't stop me.  I have a few black frames from a thanksgiving deal at Meijers a couple of years ago...  They have been sitting in my basement until this year when I've finally been finding things to do with them...  So here they are:

This is what I came up with first!  Now picture black letters on each tiled frame.  B-A-T-H.  The squared tiles are popped out and the lined tiles are recessed.  It gives it a really cool dimensional look.  (please note that these are not glued in yet.  they will look slightly better when they are 100%) 

Yet something just wasn't quite right.  Don't get me wrong I love it but I kept playing with it.  I finally came up with this:

I think this is how its going to be in my bathroom.  I am not certain on the triangles on the corners.  What do you think?  I'd love to see some comments!!!  Still spelling out B-A-T-H on the frames. 
So up next that I want to work on from Pinterst:

I already have the fabric and the handles and knobs.  Jake just needs to figure out how to get the knobs off the item they are on now.  Sample boards.  They aren't screwed in...  So some interesting manuvers will have to be made to get them off...  Can't wait to see how that turns out!

Until Tomorrow!  (2012!!!)

Snow?

Last time I checked I lived in Northern Indiana.  That means winter is full of snow and ice.  This year however seeing snow has been a treat for us...  I'll show you what I mean.  It's December 30th and this is the view out my window from work:

See any snow?  No, also no ice.  Rain and 45 degree high today!  It is a heat wave!  HA!  OK seriously, we have only had 2 (or 3, I can't remember) good snowfalls this year.  Crazy right?  So much for a white Christmas.  Really I am OK with it.  I think its pretty.  ON THE GRASS, I do not like the stuff.  I HATE driving in it.  I am one of those people that others get mad at because "I've lived here all my life and snow falls and I drive like I've never seen it before."  Now I feel for those people, I really do because I have the same feeling when it rains and people start driving like that.  It's rain people, but I digress...

Having a child does make snow a little special.  When their eyes see that white stuff and they get a twinkle and want to go out and play in it I get giddy and want to play outside with them in it too.  I want to go tubing, ice skating, and sledding, make a snowman, throw snowballs, make a snow angel, and well I think you see my point.  Now let me state that I won't be able to move the next day after doing all of those things but what fun! 

OK so here is how we've spent the last few snowfalls this year.  1st time was a Thursday.  Yes I remember what day it was because we were at dance class and people were walking in covered in mounds of snow!  I just got there about 15 minutes before that and not a drop or flake of snow did I see.  I went to the front of the building and sure enough...  SNOW!  The first snowfall of the year and we were in class and OH Crap I didn't have a snow brush...  Thankfully I had gloves to clear the snow off my car!  2nd time I was at work...  I was so excited to wake up and take Chrissy to the window and have her see the snow and hear her say, "Can we make a snowman?"  Of course honey...  When I get home from work!  So all morning I'm watching the snow fall and thinking I have to go out at lunch to get snow pants...  I go out at lunch and it seems warm to me...  Oh no...  So I get back to the office and all afternoon slowly watch all the snow melt away.  No snow to make a snowman by the time I got home.  Boo...  3rd good snowfall happened this last Tuesday.  Finally I was home, it was my day off, and Chrissy and I didn't have anything planned!  She ohhed and ahhed over the snow again and then went to play with her Christmas gifts...  I ate breakfast and said to her "Why don't we get ready and go out in the snow!"  To see her face light up  was amazing!  She dropped everything and ran to her room so we could get everything on! 

Now getting a kid ready for the snow reminds me of the scene in a Christmas Story where the mom is getting Ralphie's brother ready...  HAHAHA!  It is so funny!!



Back to my story...  I get Chrissy and I ready.  Outside we go!  She is kicking and running around.  She falls, She can't get up!  HA!  She makes a snow angel, I help her up! She makes snowballs (pretty well I might add) and throws them at me!  She then asks "Can we make a snowman?"  Sure!  So I start getting the balls rolled.  She helps a sec and decides I can do it.  Fine, I got the 1st ball in line,  off to make the 2nd ball.  Bet you never really thought about how heavy snow was all smashed in a ball.  (Well at least I never did.)  I get the second ball to the base and think to myself Holy Crap how am I supposed to lift this thing!  I looked around I didn't see anyone, I bent down, tried to hoist it up with my butt to the road.  Didn't budge.  Chrissy's looking at me like WTH its just snow.  Pick it up already.  I try again...  Still nothing.  (At this time I'd like to thank my dad for the many snowmen we built over the years and thank you for being superman and hoisting the body up onto the base with ease!)  So what is a mother to do when your kid wants a snowman and you can't lift it...  I take my foot and bust off half of the ball...  I hoist it up take the snow I busted off and patched it back in.  Chrissy's eyes gleamed.  I can only hope she saw me as I saw my dad back in the day as Superwomen...  LOL!!!  We get the head on and Chrissy goes searching for the perfect rocks for the eyes, mouth and buttons. I was in charge of getting a carrot for the nose.  Thankfully we had carrots from Christmas leftover!  I also found a hat.  Yes it was a white ball cap.  That's all i could find that I didn't care if it got lost.  So below are some pictures of our adventure in the snow. 

Yes I know she doesn't have gloves on... We were just about to go in when I realized we didn't take a picture with the snowman!  Opps!

So there you have it!  Our adventure.  Today is raining.  No more snow.  The snowman in the front looks drunk because he is leaning so much!  I did read today on WSBT Facebook page:

WSBT-TV


This is kind of scary to think of... On December 31, 2010


High: 46


Low: 29


Precip: Trace


Snow on the ground: Trace.




The forecast for December 31, 2011:


High: 45


Low: 29


Precip: 0


Snow on the ground: Trace in spots






You know what happened the next few days in 2010? 39 inches of snow in 2 days! What's in the forecast for Jan. 1 & 2 2012? Heavy lake effect snow. Deja Vu???
 
Heavy Lake Effect Snow...  Come on!  Can't we just have normal snow.  Like back in the day when I was young.  Snow started falling November 1st and stopped March sometime.  It was always snowy out.  No real craziness like we've had here the last few years!  Oh well!  Maybe we can get in the tubing, sledding, and ice skating Chrissy still is asking to do!
 
Until tomorrow!  (I think I'll talk about New Year Resolutions...)
Oh ya, My Laptop is fixed!  I'll be able to blog from home now too! 
 
So back to where I was...
Until Tomorrow!
 

My Bleeping Computer...

I have a love/hate relationship with my computer.  Mostly love, but there are times that I, well...  I think you get it.  Computers have become apart of our lives everyday, one way or another!  My 4 year old can probably run the computer just as well as I can if not better.  (Which I find scary!)  I know I couldn't live without my computer anymore.  I'm just too "connected"...  LOL

Things I love about my computer are:

1. Its a laptop and I can take it anywhere.
2. I can look up sales and find deals before I spend all our money!
3. I can play games on facebook.  (yes, I know that's a lame one)
4. I can take it on trips and it entertains Chrissy.
5. Many, many more things.

Things I hate about my/any computer are:

1. Its got me so hooked that I can not go a day without opening it and doing something on it.
2. Its gibberish to me when something goes wrong.
3. It gets viruses.  (Why the hell people who create them, viruses, are so mean is beyond me!)
4. When I can't fix the problem.

So I come to the reason for my post today, My Bleeping Computer!  I'm working every so dutifully on my computer Tuesday night trying to make my grocery list and find deals on those items.  All of a sudden BAM!!!  This pops up:
 

Now at first I freaked out!  I have vista, I know viruses suck, I know I could lose everything!  Every time I tried to do something I'd get stopped.  Another pop up, another STOP YOUR COMPUTER IS INFECTED...  The one that scared me the most:

System danger!

Your system is in danger. Privacy threats detected.

Spyware, keyloggers or Trojans may be working in the

background right now. Perform an in-depth scan and removal

now, click here.

Trojans...  why does this one word scare the ever living poop out of me when it comes to computers...  I don't remember exactly.  I freak out to Jake, "I can't do anything!  Its broken.  We have to pay $60 or more to get it fixed (this is what the link tells you!)"  Jake ever so calmly states "just put it away and look at work tomorrow and see if there is something else we can do to fix it."  This infuriates me even more because he isn't as attached to the computer as I am and thinking I'd lost my computer for good to the Trojan gods was so upsetting.  Finally I was able to calm myself down after trying many things to no avail...  I just knew that Vista Home Security 2012 was real.  I mean it was the system I was running on my computer after all!  

So I get to work yesterday and type in Vista Home Security 2012.  What pops up:

  Vista Home Security 2012 is a program which pretends to be a legitimate antivirus software but, in reality is a totally scam. Its infects the system with the help of trojans and may change its name depending on the OS run by the user (Windows XP: XP Home Security 2012, Windows Vista: Vista Home Security 2012 and Windows 7: Win 7 Home Security 2012)

OMG Jake was RIGHT!  UGH, Jake was right...  well 1 point Jake, 1 point computer virus, 0 points Ferris.
 
So I keep reading and find that I should be able to fix it myself.  Double bonus.  I get to feel smart and I get to get my computer back...  So I find this website,  http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/, it talks me through step by step what I need to do.  I print off the pages and get my thumb drive and head home at the end of the day to start the process of fixing my computer.  Everything is going fine...  Step 1 done, Step 2 done, Step 3 well you get the point.  I get to step 7 (i think) run Malwarebytes.  OK fine.  Download it, start running it.  2 hours later...  Nothing.  It FROZE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  WHAT THE F***!!!!! 
 

It was up to 12 infectious items detected...  BUT it wasn't done.  So I shut the computer and decided it was bed time.  It was 11:30 after all, way past my bedtime... was I ever going to be able to use my computer again, had my computer succumb to the Trojans, would I ever be able to get on facebook or Pinterest again?????   
I woke up this morning still thinking about my computer.  I couldn't wait till tonight to work on it.  I mean how would I get any work done at work with this on my mind.  So I decided it was bring your laptop to work day!  LOL...  I figured I could put it on the desk behind me rerun Malwarebytes again and keep an eye on it. 
 

Its still running right now.  Its been going for 1 hour and 51 minutes and some odd seconds...  Its surpassed the number of items it scanned last night and is up to 12 infectious items.  I'm hoping it doesn't freeze again, obviously...  I need my computer back!!!

Until tomorrow, or my computer is back up and running!!

Cheesy Chicken and Rice

First let me start off by saying this is not MY recipe.  It is from a newspaper clipping I got many years ago from Campbell's Soup.  I tried to find the exact recipe online but the closest I could find is this one.  (Click "this one" to link to the recipe...  ha!)  I tried to take a picture of my cut out recipe paper but it was not pretty so I'll save you! 

Anyways...  Back to Dinner!  I haven't made this is such a long time.  I was thinking of it for a while now and every time I'd try to make it I wouldn't have something in the house...  BOO!  Last night however the stars aligned and everything was in the pantry and freezer!  AWESOME! 

I have Tuesdays off of work because I only work 4 days (yes I know Tuesdays are an odd day to have off but it was my choice to have that day off... so there!  LOL) so I took the plunge and decided I would let Chrissy help me make dinner....  This was a first for us.  I usually shoo her out of the kitchen and ban her to the living room while I make dinner.  It goes faster without help and since I'm usually making dinner when I get home from work and I'm on a tight schedule for dinner and all the other night time activities that need to get done before bed...

So first things first I turned on my Christmas gift from Jake!  I'm super excited that I no longer have to listen to kids shows while I'm cooking!

Best Christmas Gift Ever!

Chrissy comes running in to dance so of course I have to stop and dance with her.  Hope no one saw me through the windows!  Oh well if you did...  Couldn't have been any worse than me trying to put the middle snowball on the snowman yesterday morning...  (But that's a story for another day!)

I start pulling out dinner items and I get the nightly question "What's for dinner?"  My response Chicken and Rice...  Her response  "Good I like Chicken"...  Ha!  Ya OK, can I tape that response so when you are fighting at the table with me I can have proof that you said you'd like it... 

Then I got a new question, "Can I help you?"  I stopped turned around to a huge smiley face...  Sure I said...  I figured this was an easy kid-help friendly meal.  So I got all the ingredients measured out and she dumped them in the pan and stirred...  I felt like a broken record saying not so fast, don't splash it but it was so cute seeing how excited she was to help me and I couldn't help but feel sad when I noticed that she didn't have to stand on anything to help me stir.  My baby is getting so big!

My helper!

I was trying to think of a side but then realized that there was rice in the recipe!  Duh, but I thought we still needed something else and corn bread popped into my head.  Second thought was crap I don't have any muffin papers.  Third thought was crap I don't have my 8x8 pan either!  UGH!  Under the cabinet I dug...  I resurfaced with the round glass pan that I make my fake lasagna in...  round cornbread...  Yum! Why not...

So 45 minutes later the timer goes off and dinner is done.  Round everyone up for dinner at the dining room table.  (Yes we do eat at the dining room table!)  Chrissy did a fantastic job if I must say so myself!  I loved having her help me and I might try to do it more often!!

Finished meal: 

The recipe I linked above calls for paprika mine says onion powder.  I think (if I remember) I might do paprika along with my onion powder next time.  I like to mix it up a little bit!  I've also added season salt before but I forgot this time... 

Hope you have a wonderful dinner tonight!  Let your kid(s) help you!

Until Tomorrow!

Starting Back Up

I think I've decided to start blogging again.  I don't think I'm that interesting but I've been told that I should blog about all the things I create.  That would mean I'd have to start taking more pictures.  (which I'm not opposed to, just having to remember is the problem...)  So tonight I've spent my time updating my backgrounds and fonts and colors...  I've updated the about me section...  (we've added a new fur baby last year) So I thought I'd write this blurb so I didn't have to see my mess from my previous run with blogger...  I think tomorrow I'm going to blog about dinner tonight...  Chrissy helped me prepare dinner.  It was fun and I think I'd like to have her help me more.  Lord help me for saying that...  I'm tired now and I have to go back to work tomorrow.  BOO!!!!  So off to bed I must go. 

Until tomorrow!