Let's Talk Laundry

I wonder if there is such a thing as disposable clothing.  If there is I am going to consider it:)  One of the things I like to do the least is laundry.  I am not good at keeping it up and it quickly turns into a mountain!! 

It also doesn't help that I have a husband who takes two to three showers a day and a son who changes clothes several times a day. 

I bought this for the wall over my washer and dryer to help inspire me, but it didn't help too much.

Everytime I get caught the laundry up, I promise myself I will try to keep it up better this time, but it never happens.  Kim, a good friend does a load of laundry each day.  Seriously, how hard would that be for me to do, but I just can't bring myself to do it. 

Lost Sock Mystery

My laundry is all washed and in transit to their proper location (for this moment) and these are the leftover

socks with no match.  Seriously...where did they go??????????

Believe it or not, but I do love to iron.  I love to do things that I have quick results so ironing is just right up my alley.  In just a few quick swoops you go from sloppy to crisp.  I just don't like to get the ironing board out.  Is that lazy or what?  I really would love to have a laundry room where I could leave it up all the time and I think that I would be an ironing fool...maybe that's stretching it a bit.  Also, the boys are funny when I iron because they will stand there in front of the ironing board and ask to be squirted by the iron.  (And, no I am not for hire:)  

This is so sad to me, but I have to move up to adult hangers for Logan's clothes because

they are too big for the little hangers now. 

Speaking of hangers, my in-laws stayed with us for a couple of months two years ago after they sold their house and were trying to decide if they were going to build or buy.  We had gone somewhere and one of them had locked their keys in their car.  Mike said he looked everywhere in the house but couldn't find one wire hanger.  I hate wire hangers!!  I think Mommie Dearest scarred me for life.  Look at her face...psycho!

I used to watch this movie all the time as a child.  Why??  What a horrible movie to watch! 

 A question that I am often asked by Landon is "Does this shirt stink?"  Another thing that happens often is I leave them in the wash too long and they soil.  Then I just rewash the load and try again.  I don't want to even think about the detergent that I have wasted doing this.  I really need to consider making my own.  I know several who do and should give it a try.  Maybe I wouldn't feel as guilty about wasting it.

A funny story about this...Right after Landon and I got married, he played church league basketball.   Bill Crosland had just moved here and didn't have a team shirt yet so Landon loaned him his shirt to wear for a game.  After they played a few minutes, Bill asked Landon what that smell was.  Landon said he didn't know.  They kept playing for a little while and Bill said, "Man, something really stinks!"  Landon leaned over and smelled Bill's shirt and he told him that it was his shirt that I had let soil.  How embarassing!!  So sorry honey!!  :)

I come by it honestly, though.  I remember one birthday while I was in high school I was so mad at my mom because I didn't have any clean panties.  I was fuming because I had to wear dirty panties on my birthday of all days.  This birthday, she texted me and asked me if I had clean panties to wear on my birthday.  haha.

Smell is a really important thing to me too.  You may find me in the Wal-Mart detergent aisle smelling all of them.  My mom said I would buy a turd if it smelled good.  (She has some great quotes).  I think the smell of your detergent is a really important because there are some people that I love the way they smell and it is because of their detergent.  The Holland family are the ones I am talking about.  Tamara uses April Fresh Tide and she always smells great.  I can always know if she is near because I can smell her trail (her kids too).  I have really embarrased Drew by discussing this. 

Katelyn Meadows also smells fresh and clean!  I don't know what kind she uses, though.

Another thing that happens to me often is washing something that shouldn't have gone through the laundry.  I have washed common things such as gum and candy.  Recently I have washed some DS games.  Suprisingly, they still work with no problems...thank goodness!  The worst thing to wash, though, is a pull-up!!  It is such a horrible mess and you have to clean out all the goop and rewash the load.  I really need to take more time and check what goes through the laundry.

Landon's cousin, Missie, had a great idea about her dream laundry room.  She said if she could build a house, she would build a large laundry room big enough for everyone's clothes and have the laundry room be everyone's closet.  That way, you can just wash them up and put them away right there.  GENIUS! 

This is also in my laundry room...



I guess I shouldn't complain because I could be doing this instead...

Defeated but Determined

On Thanksgiving morning, Landon, Leanne, and I completed our first 5K.  It was such a great experience, and I even got a little teary-eyed as were running because it is something that I never thought I would be able to do.  My three goals were to run the entire time without stopping, not come in last, and not fall at any point in the race.

I have jogged that distance before but there is just something different about running together in a huge group, with officials stopping traffic as you cross a busy intersection. 

We lined up in the very back of the pack because we were all a bit nervous about the race.  When it started, we had a little trouble getting around all the walkers, strollers, and dogs (my personal favorite).  We decided that we would not line up in the back the next time because our time started and it took us a little while after that to get to the starting line. 

This is us at the beginning of the race.  When we were about two minutes in, I started feeling sick to my stomach.  I started to panic a little because I was determined to finish even if I had to go throw up on the side of the street.  I pushed through it and it went away.  Landon and I stayed together the whole time, but his pace was faster than what I was accustomed to going. 

A little over two miles in the run, we turned the corner and I looked and saw a huge hill that we were about to climb.  It looked more like a mountain to me at the time, and it was not only steep but long as well.  About halfway up the hill, there was a man on the side of the road by his truck who he was cheering everyone on in that was running.  Something about that man standing up and cheering and encouraging us to keep going lit a second wind within me that kept me going when I really wanted to quit.  I wish I knew who he was because I would love to go and thank him.

As we made the turn and saw the end in sight, a faster song came on in my playlist and I took off to the finish line.  I thought Landon was right beside me but he fell back a little.  I was expecting him to dart beside me at any moment because he is really competitive.  He later told me that he thought he would get a second wind and sprint at the end, but he didn't have it in him.

Landon wasn't too far behind.

Here is the winner.  I wasn't too far behind.  haha!  Add 12.9 minutes!!

Elated!

My father-in-law was so kind to get up early and come to watch the boys and take pictures for us.  I am very thankful for this because Landon and I would not have been able to both participate otherwise.  THANKS MIKE!!

Since Thanksgiving, I have lost a little bit of motivation because I no longer had a goal.  I am very goal orinented and must have something to work toward.  I have considered doing a triathalon sometime this year for my next goal.  Today I thought I may want to actually start swimming to practice.  So, after I jogged on the treadmill this evening, I headed to the pool.  Landon has been swimming a lot this year and he waited after he swam to help me work on my form.  It was miserable!!  I am horrible!  When I finally make it to the other end of the pool I was heaving, verging on hyperventilation.  Needless to say, I didn't swim very much.  I managed to do 5 laps tonight (with stops in between).  I left the YMCA tonight ticked off because I couldn't do better than that!  I will not let the water defeat me.  I am going back tomorrow!  I have a lot of work ahead of me, and I am thinking of finding the triatholon with as little swimming as possible:)

White Christmas 2010

This Christmas was picturesque because we woke up with snow on the ground for the first time that I can ever remember...one of the most magical Christmases yet.  The boys are at such a fun age where they are so excited about every detail.

On Christmas Eve, Landon and I exchanged our gifts to each other, although Lucas already

told Landon that he was getting books for Christmas.  He couldn't wait to tell him. 

The boys were anxious to help open gifts too.

He got two books from the boys, a swimming book and a triathalon book.  (He has been swimming this year).  After opening the second book, Landon said, "I see a theme going here."  I couldn't wait to give him the next gift.  I had Julie order it so Landon wouldn't see it on our account.  It arrived just in time and I hurridly went to her house to pick it up on Christmas Eve morning. 

This wasn't quite the reaction I was expecting; however, I ended up wrapping a gift that was Julie's (a ladybug child harness for her Disney trip.)  He was really confused as to why I would be so thrilled to give this to him.  It was supposed to be an underwater MP3 player for swimming...it arrived later that afternoon.

He also got this super soft blanket and a semester of guitar lessons from Stevens

Street Baptist Church in Cookeville.

Landon is always such a thoughtful gift giver.  He always does well and spoils me (one of the many things I love about him).  The first gift was a joke.  He got me all three Lord of the Rings movies.  We teach the High School Sunday School class together and over the last few months, there have been several illustrations from these movies in our lessons.  I tried watching the first one when it came out on video but hated it, so I have no idea what I am talking about when it comes to this part of the lesson.  Maybe I will give them another try now.  He also got me a new set of sheets, a waterproof video camera, and a gift card to IKEA!  I can't wait to use it!!  

Later that evening, we went to church for a Silent Candlelight Lord's Supper Service.  When we first started doing these several years ago, I didn't like them because I felt weird that we didn't sing or hear any sort of Christmas message about Jesus' birth, but now it is one of my favorite things we do at Christmas.  It is a time of complete silence to sit and reflect and pour your heart out to God during what can be a stressful and busy time.  I feel like that service gets me focused on what we are really celebrating.

After we went to church, we did Christmas with my mom.  We first had a lovely dinner at Bella's.



We were entertained by Lucas' enjoment of his dessert.

More nerf guns!!

Star Wars Legos were a hit as well.  Lucas wanted to sleep with them.

Lucas flipped out when he got opened this gift, one of the two things he asked for from Santa...

a double Shreck movie. 

Although Logan isn't quite as dramatic when he opens a gift, he was shocked to see this one. 

It is a game he really wanted, and he was thrilled.

Logan picked this out for Pappy this summer.  He is a huge UT fan,

but he said he might actually wear this:)

I just love when I give a gift with this kind of reaction!  It was a Kindle. 

We then went home to get ready for Santa!!!

We had to make cookies for Santa.

After reading the Christmas story, hugs and kisses, it was finally time for bed.  Lucas stayed

up for over an hour and a half after they were in bed...too much sugar!!

Santa came!!!

Oh, the anticipation!

Listening to the letter from Santa explaining their gifts were too big for under the tree.

He couldn't wait to try this out!

I think Landon wanted this Star Wars AT-AT Walker more than anything.  He wanted this as a child because his cousin Nathan had one but he never got one.  He was reliving his childhood with this gift:)

Lucas was more excited about the other gift he has been asking for from Santa...a Megamind DS game.

The boys' big gift from mom and dad...a puppet stage for Lucas and a remote control

Star Wars Millenium Falcom for Logan.

I just love this gift!!  I am looking forward to many puppet shows performed by my favorite little stars. 

It's so Sound of Music-like:)

He got a Pop the Pig game and Lucas then burst into tears because he wanted that game.  We had a time out for a lecture on how Logan will share his game.  It was ridiculous but funny and hard not to laugh at my little emotional child.

He had to sit out his next turn on opening presents.

After breakfast at Rebecca's we had to go home and cook the turkey.  Perhaps Christmas day isn't the best time to be in charge of the main meat for the meal when you have never made it before.  We didn't know what we were doing.  

We watched a YouTube video on how to do it as we went. 

Landon had a hard time finding the giblets.  They were shoved really far in the neck.

Is this disgusting or what???

It turned out well, though!!  It was really moist and received approval from the family. 

Christmas Night at Michael and Alyx's...

I think he liked it!  He is also relieved that it isn't girly.  They wrapped his gift in a Tangled box and Logan was a bit nervous about it.

I love my workout clothes!  Thanks Sara!!

Tristan and Williams were shocked when they opened a Play Station 3!

Tis the season for a Kindle.

 It's been a difficult time for Suzanne with the loss of her dad.  He would say "Happy Day"

often and I found a hand towel that said that on it. 

Christmas with my dad's side...

My great-aunt, Della Mae, is in Assisted Living at Lifecare and has a hard

time getting out now, so we had Christmas there this year.

Melody rockin' it with Lucas' Paper Jams.

I think Laura liked her gifts:)

Silly Picture...not everyone wanted to participate.

What are you doing Landon??  Right in front of my dad!! 

We had a wonderful white Christmas this year! 

We have a lot of playing (and cleaning) to do.