Twas the Night Before Finals - 10th Anniversary...

Can't believe it has been 10 years since I trapped my dear roommate, Andi, in my car for 4.5 hours as we drove home for Thanksgiving and forced holiday spirit upon her in the form of adapting "Twas the Night Before Christmas"for a roommate Christmas letter...miss those good ole days...enjoy:

Twas the night before finals, when all through the place…

I looked up at Andi, her sad, sleepy face,

Book bags were flung all over the chairs,

Dress pants and slippers the only clean things to wear.

Their minds were filled with information read,

The kitchen table had become their new bed.

Sandy in Soils and Andi in Stats,

Had mistakenly fell into a mid-studies nap.

When out on the lot there arose such a clatter

We sprang to the porch to see what was the matter

Away to the porch we flew like a flash

The door was still locked and caused a big crash.

The fright of the crash, the harsh sudden blow,

They vowed to each other…no one must know!!

When what to their wondering eyes should appear,

A big garbage truck tearing off Sandy’s mirror.

With a little old driver, so lethargic and fat,

Sandy rolled her eyes saying, “I didn’t need that!”

More rapid than eagles, out of the house Andi came,

She whistled, and shouted, and called him bad names.

“Call Leah, Call Allen, Call Nathan, Call Andy!”

“Wait, no not Leah!, she isn’t handy!”

We dialed their numbers we gave it our all

But no one would answer our poor, pitiful calls.

Tears of sadness filled Sandy’s eyes,

Which demanded a trip to Sonic, for fries!

Their study break over, they knew what to do,

For finals would be over much more than they knew!

Who cares about z-scores and the value of P,

In 24 hours how happy they’d be!

This new sense of hope they had just found,

Caused them to sing and frolic around.

Layers of sweats, still getting the chills,

“We can’t afford the heating bill!!!”

These books! These studies! They drive us insane!

Only a few more hours of this madness remain!

Their eyes so droopy, their dimples so sad,

Nervous about grades…they know they’ll be bad.

Studying is over, prep time is gone,

I wonder how many tests we will bomb.

“Oh Goodness!” “Oh Golly!” “Oh Heavens!” “Oh Gee!”

How did I end up in the room for Calc III?????

My teacher’s broad face and little round belly

That shook when he laughed like a bowl full of Jelly. (Moore, Clement C.  Twas the Night Before Christmas.)

He was chubby and plump and handed out the tests

And he laughed out loud out our faces of detest.

The answers to the questions, I KNEW I had read….

Too bad all that garbage hadn’t stuck in my head!

He spoke not a word as he watched us all work,

Walking out of the room I thought, “Man, what a jerk!”

Our hacking and coughing and runny nose

Still, thinking of Christmas our spirits rose.

Merry Christmas to you, from Andi and Sandy,

We hope your holiday break is really quite dandy!

Our brains are fried, our minds are toasted,

 But we’ll be in good spirits…                                                    

….until grades are posted

This is why we can be friends

Here is the rare feature "this is why we CAN be friends"...

After responding to my text about the kids today, I got this additional text: 

"Unrelated but interesting note... I just spoke with a man with the last name of Wigglesworth."

This is why we're married.

Tis the season

Tis the season to be merrily marketing... But I think they might have switched recipients on a couple of these direct mail pieces.... 

bright idea

Snowmen and north pole have been a holiday decorating staple for years....see photo below from our Atwood days: 

This year however my dad was awoken in the middle of the night with a "great idea".  He had this giant red light that had ended up in his possession a few years ago....think the kind of light that is on the top of a tall antenna or tower.  And why wouldn't it need to be on the top of the north pole?

So he permanently wired it in the ol' north pole and we no longer have to worry about planes landing in my parents' from yard....

Open Air and Freedom

So I assume this is supposed to be somewhat ridiculous...but I think still warrants a "hmm. Interesting"

What does "open air" even mean??

the trains leaving...

But really.  This was the last weekend of the year for the "little choo choo" in the park.  Parking until April I think....

and Cora FINALLY got to ride with the boys:

But poor Andy....no one would ride with him....

 Oh wait, next ride they ALL wanted to ride with Uncle Andy / Daddy...

she's almost swiss

For the longest time Cora was a  definite "mama's girl".  Who can blame her? I am, in fact, the coolest.

But daddy's been wooing her with frequent walks to look for kitties and puppies and throw rocks in the river; tearing animal pictures out of his cabelas ads for her and eating the lima beans out of her mixed veggies.

  And she has responded -- he is now the preferred facilitator of nose blowing,
  (he is confused and not altogether pleased about this side effect....)

and many other more wonderful things!

I'd say she's pretty close to being Switzerland and it's fun for all! 

Toddler Problems

Sometimes you just have one of those days...where you miss a leg hole and no one notices for a couple of hours...

and it usually ends up fine.  

#toddlerproblems

this just in...weather report; also, this just in...weather report

So this was the forecast written for Friday:

• FridayA chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 1pm and 4pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 73. North wind 5 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

So this was the forecast written for Friday. Then, this was the forecast written for Friday.

Really?  Saying showers and thunderstorms likely throughout the day must have just seemed too easy...clearly no writing skill demonstration was required of the person who puts this on the web.

this is why we can't be friends: feeling "off"

An email from Andy earlier this week:

"Have you felt 100% ok today?   My tummy is just a little off, and I feel just a little sore, maybe just from sleeping hard in one spot."

Oh really? You feel a little "off"? and maybe a little sore or achy?  Hmm.. is it a like a mild irritation, fleeting kind of feeling....or more like you are growing a human and have expanding body mass and joints everyday kind of feeling?

Please tell me your problems.  I imagine this is an incredible burden on your day.

This is why we can't be friends.

also, we all noticed he used the word "tummy" in that right?  maybe we'll chalk that up to having a 2 year old and let it slide....

i go to college: milk

Last week was the first week back at class at K-State.  Always exciting. Always Busy. Always exhausting. Always interesting.  

College student highlight of the week happened at the grocery store...as I was walking through getting my few items I overheard to girls who were clearly roommate's shopping together....trying to decide what type of milk to get.  There seem to be some debate over 1% vs. 2%....then suddenly one of the girls got very excited when she spotted "one slash two percent"!  

This was not the brand -- but just a representation 

 "1 slash 2 percent" the girl was so excited about.  What a perfect compromise...

Hopefully she is enrolled in a math class....

oh thank you.

It's been a great week: 

Monday someone told me they could tell I was pregnant way before I told anyone because my face was getting fat.

Today someone told me that my stomach "looks really really big today".

oh thank you.  so does yours.

if you build it: typical

So we are building a house...or will be. hopefully. at some point...thus the new blog feature.

Typical DIY project phases:

Phase 1: Let's go! We can do it! We got our tools.

Phase 2: Now what?

also somewhat representative of our house building project so far...

baby bike mechanic....

Talking in sentences! Always the helper...

(video isn't appearing on mac and mobile devices for some reason, sorry...you are totally missing out!)

just like mama...

No secret this girl is a mama's girl.  She is quite the little copy cat...now needing to take her purse with use every morning..just like mama.

This is why we can't be friends: baby bump

this is shockingly similar to the previous post.  anyone else sensing a trend?

Andy: hey did you pick up that lotion? (We have sunburns)

Me: no... I hate going to walmart.

Andy: because you're getting so fat?

Me: ....

This is why we can't be friends.

But I am getting pretty "fat".

This is why we can't be friends: k2

So in case you misses it we are expecting baby k2 in November... If you have seen me lately this is definitely not news.  Hence this mornings conversation:

Sandy: I look like a whale.

Andy: yea, you mean because your wearing that polo.

Sandy: ...

So guys, you don't ALWAYS have to agree with your wife.  This is why we can't be friends.

spoiled

Okay, I'm back.  The crazy schedule is spring is over and the blog is up and rolling again....cuing people all over the world to rejoice and at least one of you to end a long and painful hunger strike.

There is no hunger for this little biscuit....she is SPOILED at grandma daycare -- this morning's breakfast includes scrambled eggs with ham and cheese, buttered toast, milk, and strawberries fresh from grandpa's garden. 

It's a hard knock life.

photo black hole

This is why there has been a black hole of cora pics lately.  She's never NOT on the move.

yes, she has 3 water bottles -- the girl likes to stay hydrated.

why is this in my office?

I think I'll start a new recurring blog...why is this in my office?

i go to college: storage unit

For the past couple of spring the hort club has done some climbing demos, info booths, etc. outside of our building...I kindly allow them to store their stuff in my office so they don't have to haul it to their (farther away) building everyday.

who's going to pay me $5 to sit at my desk with one of their helmet's on?

this is why we can't be friends: sandwich

Why do you do when someone you care for isn't living up to their potential?

Perhaps provide encouragement? Helpful words of advice?

I may have mentioned before that Andy and I have our own morning roles.  

(Andy, I encourage you to ONLY READ THE WORDS IN BLUE from here out...)

Aside from getting ourselves ready, I also (typically):

• Wake up baby girl
• pack the diaper bag (including diapers, change of clothes, whole milk, etc.)
• pick out cora's clothes (including finding socks that nearly always match)
• wrestle cora into clothes for the day
• look for cora's shoes then put them on her
• bribe cora with food so she will put her coat on
•  AND...make smoothies for Andy and I

In addition to getting himself ready, Andy also:

• makes us sandwhichs

hmm. I guess that didn't really need a bullet point...

Anywho, that's our routine and that's fine...EXCEPT. Mr. Andy has not been living up to his sandwich making potential.  I have been "encouraging" him to cut my sandwich in half forEVER -- he KNOWS that is how I prefer it...but he is pretty hit and miss...with this week being ALL MISSES.  To the point where I have sort of given up (cut it in half myself this morning)

Okay, you are thinking, "hey the guys making you a sandwich let it go."

First of all, I do make him a smoothie every morning, BUT, even if you had a point and I did decide to embrace mediocrity in this way....TODAY I OPEN MY LUNCH TO FIND THIS: 

 

WHAT???? YOU HAVE GOT TO BE FREAKING KIDDING ME. EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT THE CHEESE AND THE LETTUCE/SPINACH BOTH GO ON THE TOP.

everybody.

knows.

that. 

I mean seriously. What has a girl got to do get a properly made sandwich?

This is why we can't be friends.

Spice it up!

So this project has been on our minds for MONTHS...maybe even years.  This weekend, we finally got started.  Moving our spices from randomly shaped, hard to organize containers....

to pretty, and similar glass jars!
(please excuse the rest of the messy house in this photo, it's one of the laws of nature that only one thing can be organized at a time.)

I LOVE these jars! I didn't get quite enough for all our spices..and need a couple more large containers for other dry ingredients...but loving that we have gotten started!!!  so. pretty.

Of course Cora got in on the action...she figured out how to open the lids on the wire bailed jars...then enjoyed a nice snack of parsley leaves...which she apparently liked because she kept eating it.

weirdo.

Friday 5

Another week gone already? 2014 is flying!

1. Last weekend I whipped out this giant floor pillow for Cora.  It is 36 in x 36 in x 7 in.  So it is BIG. and she loves it.  AND I made it out of an old slip cover I had made back in our Estes Park days, so it was pretty cheap to make!

2. The sunflower seeds are slowly but surely leaving...you can see the shape of Kansas is slowly breaking down....the slips of paper are people identifying their home counties...who knew there was so much county pride?

3. Olympic watching continues.Here are our Friday night opening ceremony snacks from last week.

(sorry it's sideways)

4. We've almost made it through 2 weeks of insanity.  We look like this now: 

5. Had a great start to Valentine's Day today with some fresh strawberries on waffles....yummers.

 

 Have a great weekend!

Friday 5

Here's highlights for the week....

1. Snow day #1.      2. Snow day #2.

Overall we got about 12 glorious inches of snow and had a great time just hanging out at home, playing in the snow, and eating yummy food.

 

3. Also during our snow days we started the "Insanity" work out program...we have now completed day 3.  So far it is a lot of fun...someday I'll get a photo of our basement "work out area" posted.

4. THE OLYMPICS STARTED!!  Tonight we kick off them off with an Olympic opening ceremonies watch party.  get excited.

5. It just occurred to me that we are celebrating 1 year with our Vitamix....and still love it and use it almost every day! best. purchase. ever.

(seriously jen b you NEED one.)

Have a great weekend!!!!

baby down

All ready to go outside!!!!!

BABY DOWN! BABY DOWN!!

  

uh, guys? how do I get up?

This is why we can't be friends: what's in a name?

A completely serious conversation tonight:

Me: you say Andrew weird. It's like you don't say the "d"....like an-rue.

Andy: I know. I don't know how to say my name. 

Me: you don't know how to say your name?

Andy: No! It's the same with "Andy"

Me: you don't know how to say Andy?

Andy: << silence >>

Me: it's like "sandy" without the "s".

Andy: I know.. I don't know how to say your name either.

This is why we can't be friends.

I go to college: so much excitement

Never a dull moment on a college campus...

first there was the Kansas Day Incident on 2014 when a rebel missourian outcast broke into my office AGAIN celebrate Kansas day in style...

and by style I mean covering my floor with 400 dixie cups of sunflower seeds. 

But I made a giant state of Kansas out of them:



and now can share a cup of Kansas Pride with all I know.


later that day...dun dun dun...

the entomologist across the hall....LIKE RIGHT ACROSS THE HALL....

accepted a package for the insect zoo...and of course he had to peek at the giant millipedes and then forgot to close the bag ....fast forward to giant millipedes escaping all the way down the hall...

Then he collects "all" of them and leaves....in the meantime I see 5 inside his door and this "little guy" escaping...

and now I'm having nightmares about millipedes attacking me to get to my 380 cups of sunflower seeds...

sigh.

and yes, I'll be stuffing paper towels under my door when I leave...