Songify

Rob recently downloaded an app on his iPhone called Songify which transforms speech into a song, auto-tune style. Well of course we have been having a lot of fun with that app over the past few days, but last night Rob struck gold with his telling of Dumbo to Sara. It's pretty awesome because the climax of the story coincides with the climax of the song without Rob even knowing it. Plus, he gives a pretty darn good synopsis.

Give it a listen by clicking here.

Rob's auto-tuned version of Dumbo as told to Sara:

"When dumbo was born he had really big ears and none of the elephants liked him except for his mother. And when his mother defended him she got locked in a cage, and Dumbo was sad till he met Timothy Mouse who showed Dumbo he could fly, but he needed a magic feather. And one day Dumbo was falling and dropped his feather. He was going to hit the ground! Oh no, Dumbo don't hit the ground! And then he realized he could always fly and flew away. Go Dumbo go! Good job Dumbo. Good job."

I love it. :)

J.R. Watkins -- an unplanned nostalgic gift

A few Saturdays ago, Rob and I were at our local grocery store (the larger, all-inclusive, sells clothes and housewares too kind of place) looking for some ideas for Mother's Day gifts for his mom and grandmother who we would be seeing at dinner the next day. (Yes, Angie, I just confessed that we waited until the last minute to find a gift for you. As if it weren't abundantly obvious already!) -- We were in the soaps and lotions aisle when I saw some hand soaps and lotions that I liked the look of. They had an attractive vintage label, and even seemed legitimately authentic by using the word "apothecary" and the tag "since 1868". Then there was the clincher; the word "NATURAL". I didn't know much about this brand, but I was sold. The buy-one-get-one-half-off coupons attached to the shelves were just a bonus at that point. SO we picked up two each of the lavender hand soap and body cream, wrapped them in cute gift bags when we got home, and that was that.

Rob's mom and grandma both seemed to enjoy the gifts, and both said how much they love the lavender scent (which is why we chose that one). Success.

I didn't think anything more of the gifts we had given them until we received the thank-you note from Rob's grandma who is always so consistent about sending detailed, heartfelt thank you's. This note was no different, and started out much like the others we've received in the past, but when she started talking about the lotion and soap we gave her, a smile came to my face and I was suddenly surprised by what I was reading.

It says:

"What a nostalgic ride the J.R. Watkins products are. I can actually remember the Watkins man coming to see if we needed any of his products. I think my mother used to buy from him. But especially my grandparents on a farm in Mesa depended on him for so many things--regularly. I'll use the soap and lotion with delight and nostalgia."

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Rob's great grandmother and great-great-grandparents both used, and even relied on these products. What a fun thought to think of The Watkins Man going door to door, even farm to farm, seeing which products his customers needed more of. Knowing that the J.R. Watkins brand truly has been around, used, and loved "since 1868" made me like the products even more.

Intrigued by Rob's grandmother's note, I looked up J.R. Watkins online and found they make much more than just soaps and lotions. In addition to all kinds of natural personal care items, they also sell natural cleaners, dish soaps and laundry detergents; natural remedies for pain relief, cough & cold, sun care, and dietary supplements; and even natural gourmet flavor extracts, seasonings, sauces and oils.

Something about it makes me want to buy every product they sell! What can I say, I'm a sucker for authentic natural products, and when you throw in the nostalgia aspect of this particular brand, there's no turning back. J.R. must be doing something right, because right along side Rob's mother's mother's mother's mother, I am now a believer. 

stuck

Sara attempting to undress herself.

ni-hao

I have been pulling weeds a lot in the evenings the past few days, and Sara has been helping. Yesterday she was using my hand weeder and said she was "digging for China." Not sure where she got that from! Probably this show. But now we don't go out to pull weeds anymore; we go out to dig for China!

Our desk is a real mess right now

Which is why I thought it was a strange place for Sara to choose to take a nap.
 

In her defense, she was only pretending.

What happens when you leave a two-year-old alone with a giant bowl of popcorn?

You can probably guess.

If not, here's a visual for you.

She wears it as a hat of course! Isn't that what you would do?!

Made in USA fail

We noticed something a little strange while playing Hearts tonight...

{click to enlarge}

My brother and I tried uploading the photo to failblog, but it ended up on their partner site cheezburger instead. Check it out here!

Multiple Choice

Question: What shape is this Play-Doh cutter?

1. flower
2. dolphin
3. spaceship
4. pizza

If you guessed spaceship, you are correct.

If you guessed dolphin, you are Sara.

Sara accidentally does the splits

they're good for your heart

I laughed pretty hard after seeing this ad on Craigslist today.

Wholesale

Look what I picked up at my local Costco today.

Sorry, I got the last one. All sold out.

I don't think you understand the importance of what I'm trying to tell you

Last night at 3:30 in the morning, Rob sat up in bed and tapped me on the shoulder as if something urgent had happened.

Me: "What? What is it?"

Rob: "Frosting....glove box."

Me: "What?!"

Rob: "The frosting container in the glove box!"

Me: "Glove box? Frosting container? What do those even have to do with each other? Are you even awake?!"

Rob: "YES I'm awake!!"

Me: "Then what about the glove box and frosting container?"

Rob: "Never mind."

...................................................

I asked Rob this morning if he remembers waking up in the middle of the night and asking me about frosting and glove boxes. He said he remembers it, but he has no idea what he was talking about.

Neither do I, Rob. Neither do I.

What to do when you're running late for a flight

1. Make sure you have the maximum number of luggage items to check (two bags and a child car seat) to make sure your check-in is as long as possible.
2. Have your husband drop off your bags at the scan place so you can RUN to your gate while carrying a backpack and pushing a baby stroller (both fully loaded).
3. Coast down the switchbacks of ramps instead of taking the elevator to get downstairs, being sure to avoid all wheelchair passengers who are traveling in the opposite direction.
4. Quickly weave through other travelers who create a Frogger-like atmosphere as they leisurely walk through the terminal (probably because they know how to be on time for a flight!).
5. Accidentally go to the gate number that matches your boarding assignment instead of the actual gate number.
6. See that there is no attendant at the gate (because it's the wrong one) and ask a nearby attendant if she will scan your ticket so you can board the plane (you don't want to miss your flight!).
7. Refrain from strangling said attendant when she looks at you with a "don't bother me" kind of stare and replies, "She'll be back" when you tell her there is no attendant at your gate.
8. Walk onto the boarding walkway anyway because you can see the plane is right there, and you don't want to get left behind!
9. Tell the airline worker (possibly the pilot) who you see at the front of the airplane, "I'm late and there is no attendant to scan my boarding pass."
10. Show your boarding pass to said airline worker/pilot so he may consider you an ignorant dummy as he replies, "that's because we're not boarding yet, and this isn't your gate" (pointing to the B15 gate, NOT the B22 boarding pass number).
11. Run back down the terminal to your correct gate (the one you passed on the way to the wrong gate) and give a sigh of relief when you see the plane still attached to the walkway AND an attendant at the gate.
12. Hand your boarding pass to the attendant while telling him about and laughing over your funny story of going to the wrong gate.
13. Notice that he is unimpressed with such anecdotes.
14. Board the plane which (thankfully!) has plenty of empty seats, even though you missed the "family boarding" time and every other passenger is already on board. 
15. Choose an empty row in the rear of the plane where your toddler can have the window seat during take off, and can stretch out across two seats during nap time.
16. Arrive at your destination and wait at the luggage carousel for your bags and car seat.
17. Go to the customer service desk after you wait until the carousel stops moving but have not seen any of your luggage. 
18. Listen as the airline worker informs you that your luggage did not make it onto the plane but will be arriving on the next flight in two hours. 
19. Rent a child car seat from the airline and go get lunch at an overpriced sandwich shop nearby.
20. Return two hours later to collect your luggage, then cry when the airline worker tells you it didn't arrive on that fight either and the next flight comes in an hour later.
21. Wait in the seats by the baggage claim for the airline workers to call your cell phone to let you know your luggage arrived on the previous flight after all.
22. Finally leave the airport with your luggage in tow but get lost trying to find the freeway entrance, and then get stuck in traffic once you do find it. 
23. Arrive at your destination 7 hours later than expected. 
24. Enjoy your stay!

Nerd Alert

I just scored 53 points in one round of Boggle.

It was amazing.

My longest word was blistered. 11 points just for that one word, plus several other 5 or 6 letter words and their plurals. Insanity. Rob did pretty well that round too scoring 20 points, an impressive number for most rounds, but it just couldn't compete with my more than double score from the same round. We saw a completely different set of words. Mine just happened to be longer. It was ridiculous.

Now I think I have to retire and end my Boggle playing career on a high note, because there is no way I can ever top that.

My Hometown

Not everyone can say they grew up in a town that 100 years ago had the largest on-land oil spill U.S. history.

I can.

Although as the feature that NPR recently did on my hometown says, "no one ever considered the Lakeview Gusher a disaster. It was a time when small lakes of oil covering the landscape meant only one thing — wealth and prosperity."

I don't know how an oil gusher shooting 200 feet in the air and raining down onto the surrounding hills for a year and a half wasn't considered a disaster, but apparently it wasn't anything to worry about. I guess all they saw was dollar signs.

{Take a listen right here or read about it here.}

As you may have deduced from the previous info, oil means a lot to my hometown. It's pretty much the whole reason Taft exists. Those who know me may have heard me talk about the upcoming 10-day celebration called Oildorado. It happens every five years, and since this year's celebration coincides with the 100th anniversary of Taft, it's a pretty big deal. The city has gone all out for the celebrations with everything from parades, barbecues and carnivals to hot air balloons, beauty pageants and dinner theaters. Should be fun! Sara and I have plans to visit my folks and attend most of the festivities, and Rob will join us in time for my 10-year High School reunion which is scheduled during the last few days of the Oildorado celebration. We are ready to party!

Oh, and if you happen to visit the Oildorado Days website (out of curiosity or just plain boredom), just go ahead and ignore the part about men having to grow a beard or purchase a "Smooth Puss Badge" to avoid being thrown in the hoosegow that travels around town looking for miscreants during Oildorado. It's just one tiny little redneck part of Taft's anniversary celebration, and I'd prefer if you would just go ahead and forget I ever made mention of it. Thanks a million.

---

p.s. ~ thanks to Katie for her post about the NPR article. Hope you don't mind my copycat post!

I call "heads"

I have a nephew who collects all the U.S. State quarters (and who loves coins and money in general), so when I was sorting through a pile of change in the car to see if any of the quarters had States on the back, I was surprised to find this:

A two-headed quarter!

My first thought was, "How did this happen? Was there a mistake at the mint?"

My second thought was, "I wonder how much this is worth!"

Well it turns out it's not worth anything, and you actually have to purchase these coins for about $7.00 each!! (but looky here, it must be your lucky day, 'cause there's one for sale on Amazon for only $2.25!)

It just so happens that magicians use these coins for magic tricks and such, which sure is handy for them seeing as it comes up heads every time.

So after finding out I won't be making a fortune off this lucky find, my third thought in regards to the coin was, "Maybe I'll just be like Two-Face from Batman (before he turned evil) and start leaving all my decisions to chance, using my trusty double-headed coin to decide the outcome."

Then I came to my senses and realized; that's just plain creepy.

So I just don't know what I'm gonna do with this lucky coin of mine. Maybe I'll give it to my nephew who will be sure to love it. Maybe I'll make a few bucks by selling it on eBay. Or maybe I'll put it to good use and become a children's party magician on weekends. Who knows for sure, but in the meantime, you might want to steer clear of making any "heads or tails" bets with me. Something tells me I'd win that bet every time!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

{p.s. Stop worrying about me turning into a comic-book villain. Of course I gave the coin to my nephew, and of course he thought it was pretty much the coolest thing ever. And let's face it; A 6-year-old boy having a double-headed quarter is much more socially acceptable than a 28-year-old woman having one. It didn't take two heads to make that decision.}

Lost and Found

Today I wore a necklace that I thought was lost. It had been lost for the past 6 years, 11 months, and 4 days; since the day I got married. It was my favorite necklace during my single days, but mysteriously since becoming a wife, the necklace was nowhere to be found. Lost and gone forever. I spent 6+ years wondering what happened to it. Every now and then while putting on accessories I would think about that necklace and wonder if somebody else was wearing it, or if it was just lying in a hole somewhere. Then a few months ago while unpacking my suitcase after returning from a trip, I reached inside one of the outer pockets and was shocked to find none other than that very necklace I thought I lost all those years ago! There it was, just sitting in the suitcase pocket, waiting for somebody to come along and find it. I guess I hadn't used that suitcase since the day I got married either, because I always check the pockets when unpacking my suitcase! I can't believe I never found it before now!

Finding this necklace gives me a slight glimmer of hope that I might also someday find another beloved item that has been lost since my wedding day; Sherman the stuffed elephant. Some of you know about Sherman. Some know I've been looking for him for 6 years, 11 months, and 4 days. He was a gift from Rob while we were dating, and I loved him so very very much. I'm sad every time I see a stuffed animal and wish it was Sherman. I've searched high and low in my parent's house hoping to find him. I've looked through storage boxes thinking maybe, just maybe, he might be hiding in there. After years of hoping, I finally resigned to the fact that I may never see him again, but finding that necklace gives me renewed hope! If that necklace can be found after years of hiding, maybe Sherman will turn up as well! Just like that necklace, he might be sitting in a box or bag or suitcase somewhere, waiting to be found. It may be ridiculous, but I'm going to keep on hoping I'll find him someday.

A girl can never have too many accessories

This is how Sara looked when I left for my run this morning.


This is how she looked when I returned.




Looks like we've got a little fashionista on our hands!

Either that or her daddy went a little crazy when selecting items to complete the outfit.

I'll let you decide.

I need to stop answering the door

Or actually, I just need to start showering at a reasonable hour, 'cause when it's 4:00 in the afternoon and I'm still in my pajamas, it's really embarrassing to see somebody from church passing out flyers, or my neighbor who needs to use my phone, or the cops who show up in response to that neighbor's phone call. Really, really embarrassing.

baby spoon, I am so over you

I have always thought that baby food from a jar is just too runny. In the past I would mix the pureed food of choice with some baby cereal to make it thicker and easier to handle with a spoon. But today I had a mental breakthrough.

Here is how Sara enjoyed her baby food today.


She downed two and a half jars of it this way! A jar of green beans (which she normally refuses to eat), a jar of squash, and half a jar of applesauce. I tell ya folks, I'm converted. Baby food smoothies from here on out!

And yes, in case you are wondering, Sara does eat cut-up pieces of regular food also, but we got a whole bunch of baby food for FREE from WIC, so we might as well use it, right?

So what interesting methods have you employed to get your kids to eat their food?