misc.

Do you ever have a day where you don't get any email for so long, that you start to wonder if your email stopped working?

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It is very hot and muggy here.


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George bought this Brady Bunch fabric that he loves, and today I made it into curtains for his home office.



I wish they were a little longer, but it works.

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I have a Sears Kenmore sewing machine that I only use for hemming things. Making curtains is really the same as hemming.

I had to refer to my owner's manual to figure out how to get the thread wrapped around the right way.

This is my favorite page from the Sears Kenmore Sewing Machine Owner's Manual:

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George put this video up on youtube. Skippy and his favorite toy. Oh, and yes that's me.



George got the music from a Russian movie called Kavkazskaya Plennitsa.

weird dream

Last night I had a dream that I took a flight to California, and there was a quick layover on the moon. On my ticket it just said "lunar." When I was at the terminal on the moon I was surprised to see out the window that there was a highway with plenty of traffic.

It's a beautiful day outside! Why are you indoors reading my blog? You should go outside and play!

the daily doodle


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The people who last owned our house planted a bunch of ground cover by the house. Now I have no idea what to do with it. The grass grows inside of it, and it is impossible to pull it all out stalk by stalk. I want to do away with the whole thing and start over. Where do I even begin?

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Remove Stains Right At The Office

I have a pair of white capris that I like, but they've been stained with something unremovable, like paint or something. Today I covered up the stain with wite-out. It actually worked. At least, I can't find the stain now unless I'm really looking for it.

ok i'm back

Ok, we are back from Michigan. We had a great time meeting our five-week-old niece, Lilly. Here are a few highlights from our trip.

Us looking like parents.

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The real parents. This is my brother Charles & his wife Marci with Lilly.

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We found a cool stop along the way off exit 156 off 90, west of Cleveland. There was a Barnes & Noble where we had a nice coffee break. There were a lot of shops sectioned off in an outdoor mall area, which looked more like a nice city block. Here's George in front of Urban Outfitters. He loves that place.

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A tasty lunch at bd's Mongolian Barbeque. Yum Yum Yum.

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Chuck and Marci had some friends nice enough to let us stay at their house while they were gone all weekend. We were hosted by Kitty. Kitty and I became close friends right away.


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There's nothing like stopping for dinner at the Cracker Barrel on the way home. Except George didn't know they were going to put bacon on his salad. He had to pick it all out.

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Time to get back to normal life. I need to clean this dust-infested house.

i am still a round

I'm still here. I've just been busy getting things in order before we take a trip out to Michigan this weekend. I will meet my new niece Lilly. There will be pictures. It has been a while since we've gone anywhere.

A doodle, a noodle...

The Daily Doodle


Many of my doodles end up having an alligator or some kind of lizard in them somewhere. No reason really, except they are fun to draw.

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I have been going to the gym almost every day for a couple of weeks. Eventually I hope to see a change all over, especially in my arms which have always been like twigs. I need to eat more so that the muscles have something to grow with. I read somewhere that a great food for body building is Japanese soba noodles. Out of all Japanese foods, soba noodles are one thing I've never cared for. I bought a package of them yesterday. There must be a non-gross way to prepare them. I need to do a little research.


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We went and saw Shrek the Third on Friday night. I know I'm a harsh critic, but in my opinion that one could have gone straight to DVD. It was not that good. Too much talking. It did not have the same momentum as the other two Shreks. I was kind of bored actually.

i'm drawing a blank right now

fun for the entire family

The Daily Doodle

We had a graduation ceremony for the preschool class I've been working with.

I guess this whole kiddie graduation thing is supposed to give kids extra self-esteem. I think it's kind of silly, but it's a big hit with the mommies and daddies. Their was an unbelievable mob of paparazzi with their cameras and video recorders when those scholars came marching down the isle in their little paper hats.

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We have an abundant crop of dandelions in our yard this year. For the past two years George has been in a never-ending battle with the weeds. I keep saying that we live in the country, and everyone around here has dandelions, and fighting them is a loosing battle, and expensive too. We are surrounded by fields of weeds blowing their seeds in our direction. So this year we have concluded together that we have a "meadow," not a lawn.

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In high school I remember 21 Jump Street being the COOLEST teen show. I've recently watched it a couple of times since I discovered it on one oldies tv station we have, and I cannot believe how incredibly cheesy it is.




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This week I have personally confirmed that it is true, you can get your Starbucks cappuccino in a mug instead of a paper cup if you just ask. I got a tall caramel macchiato, and it was, in my opinion, gigantic. I actually prefer the plain coffee there. If they sold a kiddie size for half the price, that would actually be enough to make me happy.

I'm Stayin' Alive

Now that I go to the gym every day, I cannot stop buying coffee and cappuccinos! The gym is a couple shops away from the coffee shop. Whenever I go into town, I use being there as an excuse to buy coffee. But now it's every day. How do I stop?

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We watched American Idol last night with Barry Gibb. I kept thinking he looks like someone else. I figured out who he looks like! The Geico caveman guy... these tiny pictures were the closest comparison I could find.


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We never watched American Idol the whole way through until this season. I've been a Doolittle fan since the beginning. My guess is that LaKisha will go tonight. What does everyone else think?

weekend notes

Here is a gripe that I am sure I will share with women everywhere.

What is the deal with women's clothing sizes? If a man wants to buy a pair of pants, he chooses the pants that have his actual waist size and leg length written on them. No guessing. And the sizes are all there to choose from.

I am 5'2", and I know that is short, but I am by no means crazy abnormally short. I have plenty of friends who are shorter than I am. Yet if I want a pair of jeans that are the right length, most clothing stores have either one length for all waist sizes (WAY too long), or lengths "ankle," "regular," and "tall." My best bet is going for the ankle length, which still touches the floor, but it's better than having to hem a couple of inches. Who are those people, who are six feet tall and a size two?

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The weather here has been amazing for days in a row, and we have been busy entertaining our guest, Flat Stanley.

Here he is at Vidler's. A historic five & dime store in East Aurora. Nothing really costs 5 or 10 cents anymore... except maybe a pixie stick.


We had dinner at the Olive Garden.

For a guy who's as flat as a piece of paper, Stanley sure has a huge appetite!




















Stanley helped us buy extra groceries for his stay.




It was a perfect day at the park... but climbing on the fences is prohibited! That Stanley almost got us in all kinds of trouble. It's ok, we got away with a warning.

We have had a great time, but tonight flat is packing his bags, because tomorrow he's off to another location to meet new friends!

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This made me laugh...

what's going on

This is a picture of my new niece, Lilly.

It's hard to say who she looks like right now. I'm told that my brother was born with dark hair, and then he shed it all and it grew back blond. Maybe Lilly will turn blond, we'll see. She needs to smile so we can see if she has Marci's dimples.

In Russia if you have dimples, they say it's because your mom stole an egg. One dimple for each egg stolen.

Whoever she looks like, she's a cute one!

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Today is a turning point in my life. Here you see a self-portrait of what I look like now. Given some time, I will be covered with muscles.

I had a session with a personal trainer this morning, who's got a plan for me to work out without losing any weight, because I have no weight to lose! I'm just going to gradually build up some strength, and hopefully feel a whole lot healthier.

I looked into a couple of women's gyms before deciding on a regular one. I checked out Curves and another one. They both had the same one-size-fits-all plan. One lady was telling me how she lost 30 pounds at Curves. That is great for most people, but not the thing for me.

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Today Flat Stanley arrived for a visit. He wants to know when someone is going to mow the lawn.

I need to plan some activities for while he's here. I'm sure he will enjoy his time in western New York.

Out & About

Today I did something I have never done before in my life. I signed up for a gym membership. I haven't worked out there yet, but I feel healthier already since I made a stop on the way home and bought these awesome running shoes.



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more cooking with jenn


These Yakisoba noodles are pretty good. I would never know which ones to buy, except that I had Japanese friends in college, and these were the most popular choice. They are best if you mix them up with a bunch of chicken and vegetables.





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In church on Sunday I kept hearing this constant buzzing noise. George said he could not hear it, so I was like, "Am I hearing things? Is there a buzzing in my ear? I know something is buzzing!" Turns out it was this woman sitting in front of us, fanning herself throughout the service with her battery operated fan.


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We recently got a Starbucks. I go there for the regular coffee. I like their regular coffee better than the coffee at our local place. But I feel like a bit of a traitor to our other coffee shop when I go there, because they bought all of my greeting cards, and even put up a pic of me as the artist with a short bio.


I was in there today (this is a camera phone pic of the place.) Their special drinks are better than Starbucks, because you can get them in a fancy mug. Today I got a cappuccino in a tall glass mug. It makes the whole experience nicer than drinking out of a Starbucks paper cup. You can see all the cappuccino layers, and it just tastes better that way.

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I sat in there daydreaming with my sketchbook and the local art paper. I'm glad I'm not out looking for a date in the "meeting place." Here are your two choices:

more misc.

We watched this movie, Freedom Writers, last night. It was good. I recommend it. The cover they chose for the DVD does not do it any justice. I don't know why they put the guy's big face on the front, because he really played a minor role.





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Wasn't it so thoughtful of Hanes to package my new socks in a resealable bag? How many times do you put your socks back in the bag, and they just won't stay fresh?


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One of my pet peeves is the phrase "pet peeves." The first person I knew who was always talking about pet peeves was the worst school teacher I ever had. That, and she would say, "I have a bone to pick with you." Oh, and "We need to have a heart to heart talk." I refuse to say any of those phrases.

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We got the new couch! I am happy with it. But now I feel the need for a new coffee table. We have this funny little IKEA table. Actually, I wanted to get the couch from IKEA, because we wanted one more modern than this. But the modern ones are extremely uncomfortable! This was the simplest & most comfortable choice we could find.



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We keep watching a show on the Discovery channel called Stunt Junkies. And I can't get over how this guy who's the host resembles a cartoon character I created in high school in the 80's. Not just his little earring, and the hair that swoops over to the right side, but also that he is quite short, and the way he wears his shorts and sneakers looks a lot like my cartoon character "Ben."

a new baby, an old couch, some food, my cute dog, and an interview

There is a new, (human, not dog), baby in our family! Yesterday my brother's daughter came in to the world. We will go and see them in Michigan sometime after all the grandparents have had their turn visiting.

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In other less important news,


A final goodbye to the old couch. George bought this couch from a furniture store's discount room back in 1996. I have wanted to get rid of it for so long, because I can just imagine the millions of dust mites that live in there, that have been afflicting me for so many years. We're getting a leather couch delivered on Friday, my dream finally come true. The Buffalo City Mission came this morning & took the old couch away. I'm sure it will find a loving home, maybe one day retire and grace someone's front porch downtown.

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COOKING WITH JENN



Want an easy meal? Here's my fried rice recipe: Take a bunch of veggies and chop them up really small, maybe include some small chopped up chicken. Cook it all in a pan with some oil & butter. After that looks good, toss in some rice. Stir it up, cook it for a while, and dinner is served.

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An even easier meal? Buy some of this Wolfgang Puck soup. This is the best canned soup I've ever tasted. Not just this flavor, but all of them. The tomato soup is probably my favorite.

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Cutie Skippy pics of the day.

Cute...


Ferocious!

Cute again.


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BADOOZIE'S INTERVIEW WITH ME

BaDoozie: What kind of cereal is in your cupboards right now?

Me: The only box of cereal in my cupboard right now is a box of Health Valley real oat bran almond crunch, which George bought, and apparently decided he doesn't like it very much, because it's been there for a while. I need to go grocery shopping.

BaDoozie: If you could have a new car, what kind would you buy?

Me: I would buy a Mini Cooper, and an SUV, maybe a RAV4. If I had the money, I might change my mind... I don't have the money, so I don't really give it much thought.

BaDoozie: What brand of sunglasses do you prefer/wear

Me: Really cheap ones.

BaDoozie: Are you allergic to any foods?

Me: Not that I am aware of.

BaDoozie: What is something adventurous you would like to do?

Me: If I was brave enough, and had the opportunity, I would like to go hand gliding. If it is at all possible though, I'd rather start from the ground and slowly go up higher and higher, rather than leaping off of a cliff, but I don't think it can be done that way.


Want to be interviewed? Let me know.

DIRECTIONS FOR THE INTERVIEW MEME

1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone
else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them
five questions.

more random stuff

INK BLOT TEST
What does the ink blot look like to you?

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I used to like Applebee's. But there is something yucky about their meat. The past two times I ordered chicken, it was a very low quality, like something you'd find on a chicken sandwich at McDonald's. There is something very soft about it, with lots of chunks of fat that need to be spit out. I don't know if I just have better taste now, or if they've really gotten worse.

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After all the complaining about winter, here is a photo of the return of spring. It smells like Easter outside.

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Some doodles from the Answers in Genesis conference we went to last weekend in Binghamton, NY.

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some other doodles.