One Uppers (booooo)

Why? Why do people feel the need to "one up" other people?

I went to the mall to return something today. It was 25 degrees with 20 mph wind. It was cold. I was wearing a puffy coat my sister got me for Christmas last year because when I was outside I FELT COLD. During the exchange at the store the lady behind the counter asked me a question.

(Lady behind the counter) - "That looks like a warm coat. Is it cold outside?"

(Me) - "Yes. Not quite as bad as yesterday but it's about 25 (degrees) and the wind is whippin' today."

(LBTC) - (laughing grunt) "That seems warm to me. Where I am from it's 40 below!"

(ME) - "Where are you from?"

(One upper lady) - (smugly) "South Dakota"

(Me) - (in my mind) "South Dakota huh? So that's why you're socially awkward."

Obviously I didn't say that but SERIOUSLY LADY? That seems warm to you? Do you know the ideal temperature for a standard refrigerator is from 35-40 degrees fahrenheit? Are you ever at your house and you think, "hmmm, it's chilly in here. I think I'll jump in the fridge and warm up!"? I don't think so. Cold is cold.

This happens all the time at the hotel. People, mostly fat guys, will be out of the warm hotel for five seconds, see all the valets bundled up and say, "You guys act like it's cold out here. This aint cold!"

A. If this isn't cold then come hang out with us for eight hours in your sleeveless shirt and overalls.

B. Why don't you just say, "I don't have a very high self esteem so I am going to build myself up by saying that I am more of a man than you are because I don't think this is cold and you do, you panzie a$$"

C. You might be warmer because of all the extra layers of fat protecting you from the cold the same way a manatee, aka "the sea cow, is protected from the arctic waters.

I guess if you like to insult people in a somewhat indirect manner, learn the art of one-upping. If you want to be a good person ,let people tell their stories and have their opinions. I promise everyone will like you more or at least dislike you less.

Watch us work

Tonight we walked into the mall at 8:40 (we were going to go earlier, but I got caught watching the Biggest Loser finale (of which I missed the last part, so shhhh...don't tell me yet)). We made a little pit stop at the Starbucks kiosk (thanks Lindsay & Jamin) and headed to finish the last of our shopping. We walked out of the mall at 9:30 with all purchases complete for everyone on our list. And because of the struggling economy, we scored bigtime - GREAT gifts that we're really excited about for crazy low prices. Can it get better?

Team T & J: we just know how to get it done. :)

Menu Monday

Okay, I'm going to "borrow" an idea from my friend, Tracy, and start posting our weekly menus on Monday. My reasons are many, but mostly - it's fun for me to share with you something I have come to enjoy greatly - cooking. Also, while I'm planning our menus, I find it helpful to check other sites and blogs when I feel like I need some inspiration. Who knows, maybe our menu will spark your imagination and give some motivation to insert something new into your menu. Here goes:

Monday: Shredded Pork Tacos
Actually leftovers from last week. We've already eaten on this one recipe three times, and I think we've got one more in us. I love meals that I can make once and stretch throughout the week - I got the pork roast on sale, and this one has been a real budget saver. We'll probably forgo the slaw and do chips and salsa instead! :)

Tuesday: Vegetable Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
The soup is from a friend's recipe. It's pretty much any kind of veggie you want to throw in with some tomato juice, beef broth, seasonings and water. You can add meat if you want, but we're trying to limit our meat consumption, plus stretch our wallet, so the vegetarian variety suits us just fine. Check out Phil's recipe below:

2 bags frozen soup veggies
1 bag gumbo veggies
1 Lg. bottle of tomato juice
2 cans of low sodium beef broth plus 2 cans of water
½ cup of rice or macaroni
1 can of dark kidney beans
1 Lg. can of diced tomatoes
½ tsp of red ground pepper
¼ cup of Worchester sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. of ground cumin
10 dashes of hot pepper sauce/Tabasco
2 tbl. Of dry parsley

We also learned that if you shread your cheese before putting it on the grilled cheese, it melts better. (For those of you who don't know, Trevor is a cheese snob who doesn't like the "fake" Kraft singles cheese.) We buy block cheese that is harder to melt, thus, the shredding idea was a revelation for us.

Wednesday: Baked Manicotti
From America's Test Kitchen. The link won't work because it requires a password, but I'll give you a little run-down. If you'd like the full recipe, let me know and I'll email you. What makes this manicotti dish so much easier is the fact that you use no-cook lasagna noodles instead of those hard-to-stuff manicotti shells. You pour boiling-hot water over the noodles in a baking dish (making sure they don't stick) until plyable. Then you just spread your cheese mixture on the flat noodle and roll it up. SO much easier and SO much faster than stuffing those other noodles. MMMM!

Thursday: Buffalo Chicken Strips with Blue Cheese Salad
We may just put the chicken strips on the salad and do a little copycat version of our favorite salad from Chili's.

Friday: Spaghetti with red sauce
Basic Spaghetti. If I have some hamburger meat left over from the manicotti, I may throw some in the sauce. If not, I've got some frozen peppers and onions that I think I'll put in there. A little garlic bread and some green beans, I'd say we'll have ourselves a meal. :)

Saturday: night out - WooHoo!

Sunday Lunch: Chicken Roll-ups with Spinach and Feta I'm differing from the recipe a little because I don't have Arugula or goat cheese, and I need to work with what I've got. I think the Spinach and Feta will work just fine, and I may cook these in the crockpot with a little homemade tomato sauce just for fun. Let's hope it works!

Sunday Dinner: Leftovers (we're bound to have some somewhere) Otherwise, it will be peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for all.

Okay, so that's what we're eating this week. I'd love to know what's on your menu. Please, feel free to share.

It's so pretty

This afternoon, Trevor and I unexpectedly welcomed a new member into the family. As the gender is yet to be determined, here it is:









After church we went with our friend and keyboardist, Stephen on a hunt for a new keyboard to replace our amazingly awesome but beastly Roland Fantom. While we found the keyboard we were looking for - a Roland RD300GX - we wanted to wait until the Fantom sold before we purchased a replacement. As we got ready to leave the final store, Trevor decided to take a quick walk through the guitars, (his has been having some issues staying in tune and such), when lo and behold, he found one that he just had to have. Giggling to myself, I figured I'd give him 5 minutes to tinker around before dragging him out of the store and home to help me clean. After 25 minutes, I realized that he was seriously looking at this guitar. 10 minutes later still, he had worked out a deal that included a hard case and new strings and we were out the door. I have to admit that, for a brand that I've never heard of, this guitar is gorgeous and the sound is incredibly rich. I'm excited to see what new inspiration it will bring.

Christmastime is HERE!

As promised, and I should know (it's been on my to-do list all week)...here are some pictures of our little house all decorated for Christmas. Enjoy!


Our Christmas tree. The ribbon was Trevor's finishing touch, and I LOVE it!



Living room fireplace.



My copycat version of a wreath I saw in Flower's Express. It's a tiny bit uneven, but I love it. Stay tuned for more on how I made it...



Stockings, new stocking hangers and our copycat version of a berry decoration we saw in Target. We probably should have just purchased the one from Target. But it was fun to try!

We wish you could be here to visit with us in person, but thanks for stopping by to see our cozy little home at Christmastime. We LOVE it!

Video Wednesday

While I had very good intentions last night, it didn't work out for me to post pictures of our little house all decorated in Christmas cheer, so this will have to see you through until I have a free moment and our camera at the same time. Trevor and I are in love with this imaginative and articulate little girl. We imagine that maybe we might be blessed have our own adorable little storyteller someday. (No - that's not a subliminal message, so check all speculations at the door) :)

Our friend Ellen first showed us the video, and yesterday Jolleen posted it too. I couldn't resist:

Le petit conteur (The Little Storyteller)

Fall has Fallen!!!

In October of 2006, Jamie and I found a cute brick house on a corner. It was the beginning of autumn and the eight trees in our future yard were turning the most beautiful colors. After we moved in, I must repeat AFTER, those beautiful leaves all fell to the ground. Every year they fall. All of them. Every year.


We decided to stay on top of the raking this year. We tried to wait until the yard was just starting to look like a wild forest and our neighbors we giving us the "it's called a rake" look. Twelve 30 gallon leaf bags later, our yard still has leaves on it. If it wasn't so gorgeous when the leaves change I would go straight up Paul Bunyan styles out there. I guess I'll stick with looking and raking and raking and raking...

There Will Be Blogs

After receiving quite the scolding from our four, that's right I said FOUR loyal readers, Trevor and I have made a committment to attempt to try to blog (maybe) three times a week. You heard me. I said "Three times a week" (maybe). Now I know it's a bold statement, but we really are going to try. You see, we have lots of good topics, and plenty of motivation - it's just that none of that matters at 8:30 when we're tired and just want to veg in front of the T.V. until bedtime. We're working on it. So check back; refresh the page often - these will be days you will NOT want to miss! Err, maybe you will...but for Pete's sake, don't say it outloud. Our feelings are fragile enough as it is.
Watch for the first one coming TONIGHT!