Just Call Me Ol' Paint

I painted my bedroom and bathroom last week. 

I overheard Steve talking on the phone to someone: "...she paints our room every year..."

I have to rebut that statement (is rebut a word?). We've lived in this house for about 13.5 years.  I've only painted our bedroom 5 times.  Do the math.  After doing some highly improbably sums on the back of a napkin, I've come to the conclusion that I've averaged one paint job for every 2.7 years. If you factor in the fact that this paint color is nearly the same as the second color I painted, you can clearly see that I average 3.425 years between paint jobs.

The end.

(go here to see more pictures)

A Very Harry Christmas

From back left: Hermione, Ron, Harry.
From front left: Snape, Voldemort

Introducing Potter Puppet Pals ornaments. I like to think of them as poorly crafted charmingly naive.  I spotted them on Pinterest a few weeks ago and knew that I had to figure out how to make them for Rebekah.

Mischief managed.

The Week in Review OR My Slip is Showing

Since it's only a little over a week until Christmas, I can't really show pictures of everything I've done, but here is a bit of what's been going on at our house:



The youth activity this week was making 'gingerbread' houses (no actual gingerbread was harmed in the making....).  Danny proved himself a genius and simply constructed a 'swimming pool' and then poured his entire bag of mini M&M's in it - thus bypassing the fiddly step of picking the good stuff off and eating it.  We were able to go straight to the eating.



I was able to earn some big brownie/matrimonial points with Steve by making a thermal slip for his mother.  It's just like a regular slip, but lined with fleece.  I would have gotten it done sooner, but when I asked Steve to find out what type of slip (half or full), he came back with the wrong answer: three quarters.  I then packaged said slip AND went to the post office today and queued up to send it off.

On Wednesday Alex finally got the wires removed from his mouth! That evening we canned 18 cans of stuff in #10 cans: Beanland soup mix, red lentils, sugar and powdered sugar.  We had to get it done Wednesday night because I only had the can sealer checked out until Thursday noon.  Yes, we had it a full week and yes, we waited until the last possible moment to use it. What's your point?

Keeping Busy

I've been keeping fairly busy lately.  Much of my time has been taken up with my regularly scheduled programming (family, seminary, sleep, house....) but I've been sneaking in some time to work on Christmas presents.  Unfortunately, I can't really blog about what I've done because you never know who might peek. 


Here's a little something I posted on Help Me Hanna:

I Wish...

We throw coins in a fountain, we blow out candles, we close our eyes against a falling star... all for the chance at a single wish. But what would happen if a wish was forced on you?



Kira is one of the newest batch of Jinn sent to mend the paths of those humans who have lost their destinies. She has been assigned to discover Jack Morgan's one true wish by whatever means are necessary, with only three stipulations: 1) no one is to discover she is a Jinni, 2) she is never to lose control of her powers, and 3) she is never, ever to grow attached to her human.


The stubborn Wall of Jack, as Kira thinks of him, has worked hard to create a life that is normal in a home that was anything but. He wants nothing more than to follow his meticulously laid out plan for his future. So, when Kira arrives in his English class with a rush of wind and spark of energy that knocks him off balance, he never would have guessed that she was a Jinni sent for him.


Kira and Jack battle wills, battle their own failings, and battle the impossible feelings that are growing between them; until a battle of another kind pulls them eternally together.


Even with mystery, magic and a timeless romance, nothing could prepare the reader for the consequences of two little words... I wish.

What can I say?
Yay Tia! I'm so proud of her.
I Wish by Tia Harrington, available November 19, 2011 (download from Amazon Kindle store).

A Very Slurpy Thanksgiving.

I just got a phone call from my husband.  Alex just had his appointment with the oral surgeon.  It looks like three more weeks of having his jaw wired shut. 

Poor guy.  He's lost about 10 pounds so far - 10 pounds that weren't extra.  I'll have to step up the calorie count for him (I wish we could trade metabolism right now!). I had been hoping that the wires would be off in time for Thanksgiving - and that even if he couldn't chew much, he could at least eat soft food. Now I'll be making two dinners - regular and liquid.

I just need to borrow a stronger blender.

(un)Award Winning Photography

We had a somewhat gorgeous Halloween yesterday.  I'd like to submit a little proof that it isn't always raining here in Western Washington:

Snow on Mt. Pilchuck Through Power Lines.

Farewell October