Wow - I have been lazy at blogging! I'm sitting here in our den (of course, it is the unused bedroom in our house) preparing my Primary lesson and my sharing time program for Sr. Primary. Just thought I would take a minute to post.
It has been exceptionally hot here in Waco all week - the forecast doesn't look any better for the upcoming week...highs in the upper nineties to one hundred and then you factor in the humidity! Uugh!
We have been doing pretty good with the a/c and trying to conserve energy. Keeping the house at about 76 to 77 when we're gone and about 74 at night for sleeping. A far cry from 5 years ago when all of our neighbors called our home the "meat locker" cause Princess kept it at about 70 all the time.
No travels this past week and no travels for next week, but the rest of the month is looking exceptionally busy - travel to Mexico twice, Chicago once, then to Idaho and Washington - hopefully if it doesn't fall through.
Washed my car this morning - pulled some weed, and fertilized the lawn. Mowed and edged yesterday - and no new movies that we've seen - man are we boring.
Princess made a birthday cake for a little boy today - Trains - it was soooo cute. Well off to a cub scout pack meeting and barbecue - then Church tomorrow.
Jim
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Missing In Action
So the past week was spent in southeastern Texas doing some project work. Long, extremely hot humid days (remember, I am a somewhat desk jockey), little or no internet connection, so I took the easy way out and didn't post.
Got back home late Friday - driving from southeastern Texas to Waco is not bad, just the bad traffic in Houston - I feel for my friends who live and commute in that traffic.
Yesterday I got my new "do" re-done and they tried to give my "tips" a highlight, we'll see if it happens again next week. By the way, the way they tried to give me highlights was a new method called "buffing your head" - picture how a shoe shine person holds the cloth when they shine your shoes, only a lot lighter movement across your hair/head.
Church was good today, my class was quite reverent, came home, had some lunch, took a nap and now here I sit. I don't have to travel next week, so I will have more time to post. Tonight for dinner, we are having Chicken Parmesan! Princess got the recipe off Martha Stewart Living Food magazine a couple of years ago and now I can't eat it at any Italian restaurant we go to cause it is not as good as Princess' - I'm spoiled.
Jim
Got back home late Friday - driving from southeastern Texas to Waco is not bad, just the bad traffic in Houston - I feel for my friends who live and commute in that traffic.
Yesterday I got my new "do" re-done and they tried to give my "tips" a highlight, we'll see if it happens again next week. By the way, the way they tried to give me highlights was a new method called "buffing your head" - picture how a shoe shine person holds the cloth when they shine your shoes, only a lot lighter movement across your hair/head.
Church was good today, my class was quite reverent, came home, had some lunch, took a nap and now here I sit. I don't have to travel next week, so I will have more time to post. Tonight for dinner, we are having Chicken Parmesan! Princess got the recipe off Martha Stewart Living Food magazine a couple of years ago and now I can't eat it at any Italian restaurant we go to cause it is not as good as Princess' - I'm spoiled.
Jim
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Sunday & Ironing
Our neighbors just left after a short visit. We have known them for 5+ years and have really been blessed with their friendship. They have a three year old daughter who is just really precious to Princess and me.While they were here, I was ironing clothes for my upcoming trip (I know, It's the Sabbath, but Princess had me working so hard in the garden yesterday that I really didn't have time to iron) and the mom tells us a story from yesterday. They were cleaning out the family video cabinet to move it to the back bedroom and out fell Disney/Pixar's "The Incredibles". Well their little girl picks up the DVD, looks at it, studies it, turns to mom and dad, pointing to the cover right on Mr. Incredible and says "Look, It's Jim"! Both parents were rolling, and we all had a good laugh just now when they told us the story.
If you look at the picture of my new haircut, I kinda do look like Mr. Incredible. Especially like this, all buff and muscle looking ! :-)I think it's great and I told their little girl she could call me "Mr. Incredible" any time she wanted to. It's kind of like my other title I have "Lord and Master" (inside story - Sarah make sure you tell Becca and Madison).
Great day - had to share.
Jim
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Gardening
I have a problem. It is gardening. I don't have any problem mowing the grass or edging, fixing a sprinkler here and there, it's planting shrubs, flower, etc that I have a problem with.
Way back in 1992, when we bought our first house, it came with sprinkler system, grass, one tree in the front yard, 3 green shrubs and two heavenly bamboo plants (nandina to you green thumb people. That was only in our front yard. We had to build a concrete block wall, plumb the sprinklers to the back yard, pour a patio, build a cover, then re-grade the small left-over area, all the while going through torturous infertility treatments, needing new carpet, installing ceramic tile, etc. We never did install sprinklers and plant grass in that back yard...And when it came time to move here to Waco, the house sold in 8 days - and this was almost a year before the Vegas housing market took off.
Fast Forward to 2001 - we move to Waco, build a house and find out that NONE of the landscaping comes with your new custom home. So we had sprinklers installed, and laid sod. That was pretty much it until 2003 when I cam home in the fall from a business trip and Princess and a friend had gone plant shopping, and purchased shrubs for the plant area in front of the garage. Now 2006, that is still the only area in the front that has plants...I know, I'm lazy, and we have now dug holes in the backyard and planted roses, daylillies, mountain laurels, etc. All to beautify and increase the investment potential of our home.
Tonight, we transplanted some sickly roses (not enough sunlight), planted two hostas, the two roses into sunny areas, and two creopsis (daisy looking bushes). We still have one crepe merytl to plant somewhere in the backyard - which receives eastern sun and all day and the back fence gets afternoon (western sun) till about 8:00 PM during the summer and 5:00 Pm during the winter.
Come this fall, we are renting a sod cutter (we), removing some of the front sod, tilling the soil and adding nutrients so we can plant shrubs and some flowers. OOOH Joy - plus before the summer ends, I have to begin painting the outside trim. I need to win the Lotto so I can afford all of these wonderful activities :-).
The joys of homeowner ship never cease! Sorry to complain, but with my travel schedule for work, Church calling, Princesses never ending social calendar, I wanted "easy" carefree lawn and I'm not going to get it! - Oh well - Jim would you like some cheese with that whine!
Going to bed
Jim
Way back in 1992, when we bought our first house, it came with sprinkler system, grass, one tree in the front yard, 3 green shrubs and two heavenly bamboo plants (nandina to you green thumb people. That was only in our front yard. We had to build a concrete block wall, plumb the sprinklers to the back yard, pour a patio, build a cover, then re-grade the small left-over area, all the while going through torturous infertility treatments, needing new carpet, installing ceramic tile, etc. We never did install sprinklers and plant grass in that back yard...And when it came time to move here to Waco, the house sold in 8 days - and this was almost a year before the Vegas housing market took off.
Fast Forward to 2001 - we move to Waco, build a house and find out that NONE of the landscaping comes with your new custom home. So we had sprinklers installed, and laid sod. That was pretty much it until 2003 when I cam home in the fall from a business trip and Princess and a friend had gone plant shopping, and purchased shrubs for the plant area in front of the garage. Now 2006, that is still the only area in the front that has plants...I know, I'm lazy, and we have now dug holes in the backyard and planted roses, daylillies, mountain laurels, etc. All to beautify and increase the investment potential of our home.
Tonight, we transplanted some sickly roses (not enough sunlight), planted two hostas, the two roses into sunny areas, and two creopsis (daisy looking bushes). We still have one crepe merytl to plant somewhere in the backyard - which receives eastern sun and all day and the back fence gets afternoon (western sun) till about 8:00 PM during the summer and 5:00 Pm during the winter.
Come this fall, we are renting a sod cutter (we), removing some of the front sod, tilling the soil and adding nutrients so we can plant shrubs and some flowers. OOOH Joy - plus before the summer ends, I have to begin painting the outside trim. I need to win the Lotto so I can afford all of these wonderful activities :-).
The joys of homeowner ship never cease! Sorry to complain, but with my travel schedule for work, Church calling, Princesses never ending social calendar, I wanted "easy" carefree lawn and I'm not going to get it! - Oh well - Jim would you like some cheese with that whine!
Going to bed
Jim
Monday, July 10, 2006
Kindred Spirits
As part of my job, sometimes I have to travel to great places for meetings. Such is the case today. I am in Chicago for a group meeting and to work on some training on one of the programs we use in our group.
I am not one of those people that gets on a plane, crosses their arms and never says a word to the person next to them. I greet them, introduce myself and then ask why they are traveling to our destination - work, fun, family, or a stop-over on their way to some other exotic destination. Well today was no different, after flying from Waco to Houston and boarding my flight to Chicago, I followed my routine, and got to know "Gina" my seat mate in 14E. We had about a three hour plane ride, and before you know it we were descending into Chicago - we talked like old friends and she had me laughing so hard, I almost wet myself at a couple of points in her stories. It's good to know there are Kindred Spirits out there on our tiny little rock hurtling through space.
I got to the hotel, did some work, hooked up with my co-worker, did some more work with her to finish off part of our project we worked on together, got some dinner and now I'm posting - all in all, a good day. Just said goodnight to Princess and now I'm off to bed.
Jim
I am not one of those people that gets on a plane, crosses their arms and never says a word to the person next to them. I greet them, introduce myself and then ask why they are traveling to our destination - work, fun, family, or a stop-over on their way to some other exotic destination. Well today was no different, after flying from Waco to Houston and boarding my flight to Chicago, I followed my routine, and got to know "Gina" my seat mate in 14E. We had about a three hour plane ride, and before you know it we were descending into Chicago - we talked like old friends and she had me laughing so hard, I almost wet myself at a couple of points in her stories. It's good to know there are Kindred Spirits out there on our tiny little rock hurtling through space.
I got to the hotel, did some work, hooked up with my co-worker, did some more work with her to finish off part of our project we worked on together, got some dinner and now I'm posting - all in all, a good day. Just said goodnight to Princess and now I'm off to bed.
Jim
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Ever Had...
one of those weeks where everything just whizzed by? I did. After the 4th of July, the following three days just blurred together. I covered for our plant for our QA Manager who was on vacation, so EVERYTHING fell on my shoulders. I managed, but I think that I will wait a while before wishing that I had his job.
Princess and I treated yesterday like the children's hymn: "Saturday is a special day, it's the day we get ready for Sunday". We cleaned, washed, vacuumed, dusted, mopped, mowed, weeded - I'm exhausted again just from writing it. We tried to re-arrange the furniture in the living room, but it didn't work the way we wanted, so it went back to the same configuration as before.
To rewared ourselves, we rented three movies, 2 of which we've watched this afternoon, "Rumor has It" - 3 Stars - quite funny in spots, but a little predictable, "Shopgirl" - 2.5 stars - a little slow and depressing, and "Ultraviolet" which we still haven't watched. I'll let you know how that goes. For dinner Saturday night, Princess pounded out two chicken breasts, grilled them, then put sauteed mushrooms, bacon and cheddar cheese on top - yuuummmy! To go with it, we had twice baked mashed potatos, and Cranberry jello salad. Really a sumptuous meal.
Church was really good today - I had 2 visitors to my Primary class and we were learning about Spriritual Exercise for Spiritual muscle to make right decisions. Our Scripture story was on Samson and Delilah. The kids really got into and it was good to see their eyes light up as they got into the story.
I never thought I would have a positive impact on these kids, but who knows - maybe I will be able to teach them something without ruining their lives.
I'm off to light the grill, we're having steaks, the twice baked mashed potatos, and the leftover jello salad, this is why I weigh so much - she keeps feeding me too well.
Jim
Princess and I treated yesterday like the children's hymn: "Saturday is a special day, it's the day we get ready for Sunday". We cleaned, washed, vacuumed, dusted, mopped, mowed, weeded - I'm exhausted again just from writing it. We tried to re-arrange the furniture in the living room, but it didn't work the way we wanted, so it went back to the same configuration as before.
To rewared ourselves, we rented three movies, 2 of which we've watched this afternoon, "Rumor has It" - 3 Stars - quite funny in spots, but a little predictable, "Shopgirl" - 2.5 stars - a little slow and depressing, and "Ultraviolet" which we still haven't watched. I'll let you know how that goes. For dinner Saturday night, Princess pounded out two chicken breasts, grilled them, then put sauteed mushrooms, bacon and cheddar cheese on top - yuuummmy! To go with it, we had twice baked mashed potatos, and Cranberry jello salad. Really a sumptuous meal.
Church was really good today - I had 2 visitors to my Primary class and we were learning about Spriritual Exercise for Spiritual muscle to make right decisions. Our Scripture story was on Samson and Delilah. The kids really got into and it was good to see their eyes light up as they got into the story.
I never thought I would have a positive impact on these kids, but who knows - maybe I will be able to teach them something without ruining their lives.
I'm off to light the grill, we're having steaks, the twice baked mashed potatos, and the leftover jello salad, this is why I weigh so much - she keeps feeding me too well.
Jim
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Yo Ho A Pirate's Life for Me
I got to work today and was plugging along when a friend called and asked me if I had signed up for a chance to win tickets to Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest. I said no and he said that he had, had won, and he couldn't go.
I called Princess - got her to commit to leave work at 5:30 and meet me at the movie theater about 5:45. We each got a free bag of "Peanut M&M's" to eat during the movie - the movie started about 6:10 and got over at 8:40 - 2.5 hours of pure adrenaline pumping excitement!
It starts this week - I give it 4 stars out of 4 stars and highly recommend that you take the time and go see it. I can't remember what it is rated, but there are some tense scenes and little ones might not like it!
Also - stay after the closing credits - bonus scene.
It's late - I've got lots of work to do tomorrow and have to get up early
Jim
I called Princess - got her to commit to leave work at 5:30 and meet me at the movie theater about 5:45. We each got a free bag of "Peanut M&M's" to eat during the movie - the movie started about 6:10 and got over at 8:40 - 2.5 hours of pure adrenaline pumping excitement!
It starts this week - I give it 4 stars out of 4 stars and highly recommend that you take the time and go see it. I can't remember what it is rated, but there are some tense scenes and little ones might not like it!
Also - stay after the closing credits - bonus scene.
It's late - I've got lots of work to do tomorrow and have to get up early
Jim
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Happy Birthday America
Happy 4th of July! We are having some humid cloudy weather here in Waco, but that didn't stop Princess and me from getting up - relatively early 8:30 AM - cleaning, Princess in our bedroom, and me in our home office.
We just got back from seeing Superman Returns!! Two thumbs way uuuuupp!! I will not spoil it for anyone, but Kate Bosworth, Brandon Routh, and Kevin Spacey did a fantabulous job.
Princess is now in the Kitchen making fruit salad and "cheesy noodle back" (a recipe from the illustrious Paula Deen) for our barbecue at the friends house with the new pool. That pool is awesome! Having a pool ROCKS!! We certainly have enjoyed being invited up to use the pool with our friends and on occasion, without them (with their permission of course).
Get up, celebrate America, and when you do, don't forget tomorrow to go out, register to vote, and then vote! It's what our fore fathers died for. It's why we troops stationed around the globe, freedom, and the privilege to vote.
Happy 4th of July!
Jim
We just got back from seeing Superman Returns!! Two thumbs way uuuuupp!! I will not spoil it for anyone, but Kate Bosworth, Brandon Routh, and Kevin Spacey did a fantabulous job.
Princess is now in the Kitchen making fruit salad and "cheesy noodle back" (a recipe from the illustrious Paula Deen) for our barbecue at the friends house with the new pool. That pool is awesome! Having a pool ROCKS!! We certainly have enjoyed being invited up to use the pool with our friends and on occasion, without them (with their permission of course).
Get up, celebrate America, and when you do, don't forget tomorrow to go out, register to vote, and then vote! It's what our fore fathers died for. It's why we troops stationed around the globe, freedom, and the privilege to vote.
Happy 4th of July!
Jim
Sunday, July 02, 2006
The day after
So I have been at this for an hour, trying to upload a photo to Blogger without it totally ruining my alignment, etc. I got so aggravated, I uploaded the photos to Flickr instead - view them there.
Here is the upclose view - just a little scary.
Church was good today - Fast and Testimony meeting, and two baby blessings. The Schumates and the Blackhursts, Mathew and Sydnee respectively. Sacrament meeting was quite emotional today - It was a little draining. My primary class was reduced to two kids, they had a really hard time understanding going from a Prophet (Joshua, last weeks lesson) to Judges and then back to a Prophet again to lead the Israelites. It could be that it is just summer and their attention spans have taken the needed summer break.
Enjoy the pictures - can't wait to hear the comments (Sarah, Debbie)!
Jim
Here is the upclose view - just a little scary.
Church was good today - Fast and Testimony meeting, and two baby blessings. The Schumates and the Blackhursts, Mathew and Sydnee respectively. Sacrament meeting was quite emotional today - It was a little draining. My primary class was reduced to two kids, they had a really hard time understanding going from a Prophet (Joshua, last weeks lesson) to Judges and then back to a Prophet again to lead the Israelites. It could be that it is just summer and their attention spans have taken the needed summer break.
Enjoy the pictures - can't wait to hear the comments (Sarah, Debbie)!
Jim
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Haircuts
Since I was a senior in high school - I know eons ago - I have had the same haircut, pretty conservative, short, parted on the side - think Opie from Mayberry, Ok?! Well today I went in for my four week upkeep and since it is summer, I said to Gina Renee, "The back is pretty heavy/shaggy, let's use the clippers and remove some of the weight! Gina was excited as it's been about six months since we used the clippers. She fixed on the guard, a # 3 and went to work. After the clippers, she got out the scissors and blended the top to the sides. She was almost done and I said "what if we were to do the 'comb to the front kinda messy style' and not the parted on the side blown, brushed look?! Both Princess and Gina Renee looked surprise and before I could get an answer, SNIP, SNIP, and the bangs went shorter along with top! Next came out the hair paste, gooped into my hair, then fingers, and hair tossled about with nary a comb in sight!
Sooo, for the first time since I was seventeen, I have a new hairdo/hairstyle! I'm so self conscious, I haven't let Princess take a photo yet - maybe tomorrow after Church, I've got to see how well I can do the "messy" look without a professional stylist! I also look at myself in every mirror or window to make sure my big head and short hair look ok - heck, I may even have to start exercising so that I have a more fit body to go with the slimmed down
hairdo! ;-)
Check back tomorrow, same bat time, same bat channel to see the photos.
Jim
Sooo, for the first time since I was seventeen, I have a new hairdo/hairstyle! I'm so self conscious, I haven't let Princess take a photo yet - maybe tomorrow after Church, I've got to see how well I can do the "messy" look without a professional stylist! I also look at myself in every mirror or window to make sure my big head and short hair look ok - heck, I may even have to start exercising so that I have a more fit body to go with the slimmed down
hairdo! ;-)
Check back tomorrow, same bat time, same bat channel to see the photos.
Jim
All Work?
After our trip to New York, I was in Waco for a couple of weeks with one business trip to Mexico to perform an audit (speaking, reading and writing in Espanol really has it's perks). Life for us returned to "normal" with the travel being a bit quieted down.
Now Princess and I weren't blessed with children, although we tried for 11 years. I look at it as the fact the Heavenly Father blesses us in other ways, good health, good jobs, ability to serve in Church, etc. Well that brings us to Mother's day and Father's day. For Mother's day, we had torrential downpours, flooding, and lightening (it was just a week after the Tornado touched down twice, once in Waco, once in Robinson) and we just kind of hung low. For Father's day weekend, Princess and I along with two dear friends from my work (single gals, but not that way), decided to book a bed and breakfast down in Fredericksburg, TX for the weekend. Lynn, found a beautiful house with no host on site, Holly's Haus, and we had the place to ourselves from Friday PM to Sunday noon.
For those who do not know me, I have never been a "bed and breakfast kind of guy". I always worried about sharing a bathroom with strangers, etc. Well this changed me. We loved the whole weekend. The house was so charming and cute, we went sightseeing, had great German food, shopped, relaxed, played cards, etc. The house has this charming front porch and both mornings we all met out there with bed head and jammies, Lynn drinking her coffee, the rest of us sipping some water or juice - a lovely time.
We came home, I hopped a plane the next morning to Jersey, with...a...cold!!! I am now on the mend, almost 14 days after the trip. My Dr. wouldn't give me anything, said "It needs to run it's course, take decongestants, rinse your nose/nasal cavity with saline solution, drink lot's of fluids and get some rest. I feel much better today, and I think this has something to do with the change from easterly winds to southerly winds and a WHOLE lot more humidity.
The year is now half gone - ?How many days till Christmas? Ha Ha! Tonight it is off to Lynn's self thrown retirement party from work - she is going through some very mixed emotions, so Princess has made one of her superb cakes, I just made my first seven layer salad (or as I call it Guaca-crap! It was fun, Princess letting me into her kitchen to help, and even though this kitchen is bigger than our kitchen from the house in Vegas, it just goes to show that kitchens can never be toooooo big! Our next house the kitchen will be MUCH bigger!
I'll try to post more often - check out the pictures from Fredericksburg in the Flickr window
Jim
Now Princess and I weren't blessed with children, although we tried for 11 years. I look at it as the fact the Heavenly Father blesses us in other ways, good health, good jobs, ability to serve in Church, etc. Well that brings us to Mother's day and Father's day. For Mother's day, we had torrential downpours, flooding, and lightening (it was just a week after the Tornado touched down twice, once in Waco, once in Robinson) and we just kind of hung low. For Father's day weekend, Princess and I along with two dear friends from my work (single gals, but not that way), decided to book a bed and breakfast down in Fredericksburg, TX for the weekend. Lynn, found a beautiful house with no host on site, Holly's Haus, and we had the place to ourselves from Friday PM to Sunday noon.
For those who do not know me, I have never been a "bed and breakfast kind of guy". I always worried about sharing a bathroom with strangers, etc. Well this changed me. We loved the whole weekend. The house was so charming and cute, we went sightseeing, had great German food, shopped, relaxed, played cards, etc. The house has this charming front porch and both mornings we all met out there with bed head and jammies, Lynn drinking her coffee, the rest of us sipping some water or juice - a lovely time.
We came home, I hopped a plane the next morning to Jersey, with...a...cold!!! I am now on the mend, almost 14 days after the trip. My Dr. wouldn't give me anything, said "It needs to run it's course, take decongestants, rinse your nose/nasal cavity with saline solution, drink lot's of fluids and get some rest. I feel much better today, and I think this has something to do with the change from easterly winds to southerly winds and a WHOLE lot more humidity.
The year is now half gone - ?How many days till Christmas? Ha Ha! Tonight it is off to Lynn's self thrown retirement party from work - she is going through some very mixed emotions, so Princess has made one of her superb cakes, I just made my first seven layer salad (or as I call it Guaca-crap! It was fun, Princess letting me into her kitchen to help, and even though this kitchen is bigger than our kitchen from the house in Vegas, it just goes to show that kitchens can never be toooooo big! Our next house the kitchen will be MUCH bigger!
I'll try to post more often - check out the pictures from Fredericksburg in the Flickr window
Jim
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