Day by Day

Wrapping Presents

Janene — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 21:41:50 +0000

Wrapping Christmas presents (or any present really) is probably one of my least favorite things to do. I have the hardest time cutting the paper the right size and with a straight edge but I found a couple solutions to my problem:

Scotch Gift Wrap Cutter is a must - it cuts the paper so easy and much straighter than I can get it with scissors. This is a must have!!

Good quality wrapping paper is best - the thicker the better. The cheaper (thinner) wrapping paper rips to easy.
Wrapping paper with lines on the inside for cutting. Awesome!
Boxes to put awkward shaped presents in are always good. Gift bags are an excellent option too.
Going slow - I discovered that if I take my time, the gift wrapping process goes much better.

Here’s a fun “How to Wrap Presents” video I found on YouTube:

and maybe next year I will try to wrap presents Japanese-Style:

I hope all your presents are wrapped and that you have a great Christmas!

Alphabet Meme

Janene — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 02:06:58 +0000

I was tagged again. This time by my friend Erin. So here ya go:

A — Attached or Single: Attached

B — Best Friend: Joey

C — Cake or Pie: I would prefer to make a cake instead of a pie

D — Day of Choice: any day I can go shopping

E — Essential Item: I have so many essential items but I like Erin’s answer - Mary Kay Time Wise cleanser - that stuff is awesome!

F — Favorite Color: currently it is red

G — Greatest Accomplishment: Getting my master’s degree

H — Hometown: Utah

I — Indulgences: Back massages

J — January or July: January - it’s the start of new year and my anniversary is in January

K — Kids: 1 husband, 2 cats and 30 kids (on my caseload at work )

L— Life is incomplete without: Jesus

M — Marriage Date: New Year’s Day

N — Number of Siblings: 2 sisters and 1 sister- and brother-in-law

O — Oranges or Apples: depends on my mood

P — Phobias or fears: I sometimes fear the unknown

Q — Quotes: I’m not really a quote person

R — Reason to Smile: some of the things my 2-year-olds say in Sunday School

S — Season: My favorite season is spring

T — Tag 5 Friends: Kim W, Becky, Haley, Shilo and Jessie

U — Unknown fact about me: It can take me 10 hours to drink an entire can of soda. I have no idea why either!

V — Very favorite store: Depends on what I am buying. How’s that for an answer?

W — Worst habit: I am always in a hurry!

X — X-ray or Ultra Sound: I’ve had plenty of x-rays and only two ultra sounds (one of my heart and one of my eyes - that one was weird).

Y — Your favorite food: Any kind of wrap

Z — Zodiac: Taurus

New Faucets

Janene — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 01:31:52 +0000

Yesterday, while Joey was working, my dad came over and helped me install three new faucets in the bathrooms. Actually, he installed them and I assisted.

Here is the before picture:

and the after picture:

I really like how they turned out. Thanks, Dad!

Now we need to change the kitchen sink to match. Maybe a Saturday when Joey is home we can tackle that project. Or maybe we should just call my dad again. He seems to know what he’s doing.

Decorated Christmas Tree

Janene — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 01:20:15 +0000

Here is our Christmas tree decorated and lit up:

and here is Coco looking for a good spot to climb:

Joey actually found Pumpkin climbing the Christmas tree too. Luckily they don’t climb in it very much (when we are home anyway) and the tree is still standing!

“Give Me Five” Meme

Janene — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 16:23:43 +0000

I was tagged by my friend Becky earlier this month. So here ya go:

Five Things I Was Doing 10 Years Ago:
1. Going to high school
2. Going to high school dances
3. Wearing a flipper retainer (a retainer that contained a front tooth) while I waited to complete the implant process
4. Chatting over instant messenger with friends after school
5. Growing out my bangs (man that was awful)

Five Things On My “To-Do” List Today:
1. Laundry
2. Install new faucets in the bathroom sinks (hopefully)
3. Clean the bathrooms
4. Make a salad for the family Christmas party
5. Go to the family Christmas party

Five Favorite Snacks:
1. Chocolate covered pretzels
2. Fruit
3. 3 Musketeers Mint with Dark Chocolate
4. Carmel Apple Spice drink from Starbucks
5. Whatever I’m in the mood for

Five Jobs I Have Had:
1. 5 Buck Pizza - assistant manager. When I go to a 5 Buck Pizza today the smell brings back so many memories!
2. MedUSA - I did medical billing and collections for several local clinics.
3. Olympus Clinic - I helped them prepare their clinic for HIPAA’s Privacy Rule that took effect in April 2003.
4. Speech aide at a local hospital - I assisted speech therapists in swallow studies, did lots paperwork and did newborn hearing screenings.
5. and currently I am a Speech-Language Pathologist at local school district and hospital

Five Things I Would Do With a Million Dollars:
1. Buy another car (or two or three - just kidding)
2. Buy a bigger house and lots of things to go in it
3. Travel the world!
4. Quit my job and be a stay-at-home mommy
5. Invest (good answer Becky)

Five People I Tag to Answer the Same Questions
1. Erin
2. Cindy
3. Shilo
4. Jenni
5. Angela

Something New to Climb On

Janene — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 00:14:59 +0000

This afternoon I tackled putting up our Christmas tree and the cats were very interested in the tree. As I was arranging the branches (I now know why people buy a real tree), Coco started climbing up the tree! Maybe it’s a good thing we don’t have a real tree or she’d have sap all over her.

Here is Pumpkin checking out the tree from on top of the TV:

Can you find Coco?

The un-decorated tree:

I’ll have to post more pictures when the tree is decorated. But first I have some shopping to do!