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top 5 once again


5. microfiber cleaning cloths. i got a couple of these the other day for quick dusting and touching up the bathroom mirrors, etc. they're pretty cool. i did both bathroom mirrors and the windows in my living and dining room with just a damp cloth. no lint, no windex. i'm sold!




4. my local library. this area is blessed with a great library system. you can get any book you can dream of. if they don't have it at yours, they'll get it from another one in the system and send it to the library of your choice. i do all of my 'librarying' online because their website is so easy to use. i browse for books i want, place holds, renew books, etc. they email you when your books are in. if you don't use this service, you're crazy! our library rocks!


3. tully's. i love tully's coffee. i cannot express how much i look forward to 'heathen coffee' on sundays... especially now that we don't have to contend with the 'cranky old lady'. they make great caramel machiattos (or as gregg would call it, 'candy coffee').



2. robeez baby shoes. i know, this is so trendy i almost make myself sick. but they're so cute. these are the ones micah has right now, but they're getting too small. i think we're going for the baseball ones next. the don't fall off, and they are soft and not bulky, but they still look like shoes and not booties or glorified socks. i don't like putting rubber soled shoes on babies who aren't going to be using them to walk on, but some outfits don't look complete unless you've got shoes on. this is a good compromise.

1. pemco insurance company. no, i don't think they sell spectacular insurance or anything... we actually have state farm. but pemco has these hilarious ads lately that poke fun at northwest cliches... something i'm always a big fan of - usually because i can relate! check them out. they're totally funny! http://werealotlikeyou.com/

Comments

  1. My favorite Pemco: Walla Walla Wine Wine Woman Woman. Laughed so hard first time I heard it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. i liked the roadside chainsaw woodcarver. i drive by one on avondale weekly!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Our favorite Pemco commercial is the obsessive-compulsive recycler. Luke laughs out loud every time he sees it!

    ReplyDelete

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someone googled this stuff and found me!

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beef stew recipe

another taken from the betty crocker cookbook, but i mess with this one so refer to the disclaimer … 1 tbsp olive oil 1 clove of garlic, pressed (or some good shakes of garlic powder) 1 lb. stew beef 3 cups of hot water (I probably use closer to 3.5 or 4) 1/2 tsp salt 1/8 tsp pepper 3 medium carrots, cut in thick coins 2 stalks celery, cut into 1/2 inch pieces 1-2 medium potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces 1 small onion, chopped 1/4 tsp salt 1 bay leaf *optional: 1/2 bell pepper of your choice; 1 turnip; 1/2 tsp browning sauce (whatever that is) 1/2 cup cold water 2 tbsp all-purpose flour heat oil in large pot. cook beef and garlic in oil about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown. add hot water, 1/2 tsp salt and the pepper. heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. cover and simmer 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until beef is almost tender. stir in remaining ingredients except cold water and flour. cover and simmer

thanksgiving trip to CA

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“you should have your head examined!”

… i just did! yup, yesterday i had the thrilling experience of sitting in a hospital waiting room for 2 hours, followed by another in a trauma room.  no, i don’t think i had suffered any sort of major trauma – i think that’s just what room they had left to stick me in.  i mused about where we would go if they had to kick us out because a ‘real’ trauma situation arose.  thankfully, we didn’t have to learn the answer to that.  i guess i was a traumatic as it got during that window of time. backing up, i wound up in the hospital yesterday because micah threw some clothes on the ground.  the night before i had been folding laundry in the living room.  i had a couple of stacks of ‘hang up’ clothes that were draped over the baby gate in front of the fireplace.                         yes, it’s a christmas picture, but i knew i had it in my stash.  at any rate, there’s the ugly baby gate that the clothes were hanging on.  also notice the wood mantle above it that the nativity set is on.