ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!

That's it...I've finally reached my breaking point.  I made a sign to hang above my doorbell, begging people to PLEASE stop soliciting and making religious queries.  I don't need a new vacuum.  I don't need laundry detergent.  I don't need magazine subscriptions, a time-share, cleaning services, or an energy audit.  I don't need a new hot water heater, a new provider for our cable, or meat.  (Seriously, who buys meat out of a U-Haul truck?)  We believe in God and don't need to study the doctrines of Jehovah's Witnesses and/or The Church of Latter Day Saints during the day while trying to work from home...or, after being on hold on the phone for an eternity, finally being exulted to the eagerly-anticipated status of being able to talk to a real-live person.  Ugh!  Enough is enough!!

Of course, we'll gladly support all school fundraisers...especially those involving candy, cookies, and popcorn!  We love to support schools...and our cravings for munchies!!

14 Crazy Days

The holidays are over and the Christmas decorations are all neatly packed away for another year.  It's been a busy, crazy couple of weeks...full of pinball, yummy food, games, movies, shopping, photos, fun and laughs.  We're looking forward to lots more fun and laughs in 2013!



Our new record: three Christmases in one day!

Cyrus is always eager to help unwrap presents.



Cyrus's Christmas Breakfast: bacon, eggs, pineapple, and monkey bread.




After unwrapping many presents and enjoying a yummy breakfast, Cy was ready for a nap.



'Cards Against Humanity' Game: $25
Dinner out on New Year's Eve with good friends: $50
Having our friend try to take our picture with the camera set on continuous-shoot mode: PRICELESS!



Yum! This may be my new favorite drink (judging by the finished bottle on the second night).
 It really does taste just like red velvet cake!



This one tastes like whipped cream. It's good, but I like the Red Velvet better.

 

Matt made me a birthday cake: white cake with cotton candy frosting and cherry-flavored hearts that tell my true age. ;-)



Happy birthday to me:  birthday mimosas for breakfast!



And another drink for breakfast. We were just trying to finish up the leftover champagne from New Year's Eve...and we did!

 

 

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas

From Our Sleigh to Yours

 

The Adams Family's Top Ten List of What Made Us Enjoy 2012

 

  1.  Keaton turned 21 and after celebrating with a nice dinner with us, he went out to celebrate with his roommates.  That's all we know and all we want to know.

  2.  Keaton and Matt saved gas money and the environment by carpooling together to work every day over the summer while Keaton worked at his internship.  Surprisingly, Keaton was able to stay awake in the car...especially while driving.

  3.  Matt & Deb took a trip out west to visit The Grand Canyon, Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, and The Petrified Forest.  They spent some time in the Ozarks on the way home and, surprisingly, did not hear any banjo music.

  4.  Keaton finished his sophomore year at Kalamazoo College and began his junior year...still working toward a degree in computer science.  If he double majors with a degree in math, he could potentially become a very well-educated bookie.

  5.  Matt returned home from nearly two weeks in India for a work-related trip and thankfully didn't smell like curry.

  6.  Matt made his long-anticipated dream of collecting pinball machines a reality.  His collection now contains nine machines and he is a true pinhead.  (That's what pinball enthusiasts are called.  Really.  I'm not calling him a name.  Really.) 

  7.  Matt & Deb still dress up for Halloween and enjoyed a sports theme this year:  Matt was a short basketball player (we know it's a stretch to imagine, but he was on his knees), Deb was a referee, and Cyrus was a Detroit Lions football player.  Keaton wisely chose to stay at school to avoid any embarrassing family photos.

  8.  Matt had surgery in November, was a very good patient, and Deb didn't have to strangle him.

  9.  Deb is getting closer to realizing her dream of writing a book.  Now she just has to decide if it's going to be "How to Send Your Only Child Off to College  While Not Crying Hysterically and Hanging on His Feet While He Leaves" or "300 Ways My Husband Has Tried to Kill Me Over the Years".

10.  Cyrus has enjoyed his "pampering" a few times this past year when he developed a gut-wrenching hobble and Deb dutifully carried him around everywhere until he was back to normal.  We're still not completely sure Cyrus wasn't faking just so he could get lots of additional doting.

Kalamazoo College Security Blotter

The Kalamazoo College Security Blotter reports two tires slashed on two vehicles belonging to two players on the mens' basketball team.  The incident occurred sometime between the hours of 7:00 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 7th and 1:00 p.m.on Saturday, Dec. 8th.  The first victim's parents happened to be visiting (after serving the team a delicious home-cooked breakfast) and noticed a flat tire on their son's vehicle.  The mother of the victim, with her keen sense of observation and crime-solving capabilities, also noticed a flat tire on the vehicle parked next to her son's vehicle.  After investigating, it was determined two tires were in fact slashed...probably with a knife.  First victim's father jokingly reported to security to question basketball players from rival Hope College.  Both players had a bonus workout of changing tires added to their daily regimen.  The investigation continues...

Living in Michigan, we're thankful this didn't happen with a foot of snow!

Merry Christmas Decorations

We finally have our tree up...well, most of it.  Since Matt can't climb a ladder and I don't like to climb a ladder, we only put up 2/3 of our tree.  I miss the 12-foot size of it, but I guess this means it won't take us as long to take everything down! 

I made this ornament wreath this week. 
It's glittery and Cyrus has tracked the glitter all over the house!

Styrofoam + Paper + Wooden Stars + Paint + Hot Glue Gun = Cute!!!

I made these letters a few years ago.



I re-purposed some old ornaments by filling clear ornaments with gold ribbon and adding old, unused ornaments to a bowl.

 

Our Thanksgiving Feast for 2.7

Another Thanksgiving has flown the coop.  We like to be different, so we celebrated Thanksgiving without the usual consumption of the turkey.  We gave thanks with a chicken instead.  Planning for our dinner, I did the math and found there would be only three of us eating (well, really only 2.7 when I broke it down):

1.0 Matt's portion
1.0 Deb's portion
0.5 Keaton's portion (he had to save room for half a portion with his girlfriend's family)
0.2 Cyrus's portion
2.7 Thanksgiving dinner portions/people

(Wow...I may be watching too much of The Big Bang Theory!)  So, another Thanksgiving has passed and we have lots of which to be thankful:  we're happy, healthy, and not eating leftover turkey for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!



Our bedroom before Cyrus decided to try his paw at decorating.

Our bedroom after Cyrus finished with his decorating project.



Cyrus is ready for some Thanksgiving football!

The guys in orange tackled the Black Friday sale ads...carefully studying the newspaper ads and online ads.
Cyrus is either a true Lions fan and couldn't tear his gaze from the game...or he was watching a commercial about food.



Three hours of cooking enjoyed in 20 min. of eating.



Cyrus enjoyed his 0.2 portion of the meal.



Before we ate dinner.



After we ate dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

Yum!

Matt's still on the road to recovery.  Each day the pain is lessening and each night he's able to sleep a little more comfortably.  He's still slow moving around, but is able to stand a little more upright each day.  He's not shuffling along like a little old man anymore!  He's been eating well...probably better than most patients.  I made him Chex mix, brownies, caramel/chocolate-covered popcorn, and his beloved Oriental salad.  He's the luckiest man in the world...and I remind him daily.  ;-)

Happy (Early) Thanksgiving!

Today we headed up to Matt's brother's house for a little pre-Thanksgiving celebration with his brothers and sister-in-law.  Keaton, his aunt, and the dog fell asleep watching football after lunch...all without eating any usual nap-inducing turkey.  Keaton, of course, slept the longest...even after the dog came to cuddle with him.

Nip/Tuck

Today's adventure was a trip to the hospital for Matt's hernia surgery...and I'm probably a large factor in causing it. I'll be the first to admit that I over-pack for everything and I can cram a lot of clothes and shoes in my bags for our trips.  Those bags get pretty heavy.  After 22 years of hauling my heavy stuff around, I guess I literally became a pain in Matt's side.  It's still better than being a pain somewhere else.  So, Matt was admitted at 7:30 a.m. and we were back home by 1:30 p.m.  Everything went well and now he just has to rest and not do any heavy lifting.  I guess we won't be able to take any trips for a while...or I'll have to cut down on my packing!



Matt's pre-op pose.
(You can't tell here, but he couldn't get his feet to fit on the bed unless his pillow and head hung off the bed.)

 

Matt's pretty souvenir bracelet.

 

I was bored and didn't have anything else to photograph while waiting.

 

Matt's post-op pose. 
(He was finally able to fit his pillow and head on the bed...but not his feet.)
 

 

 

IT'S FINALLY OVER!!!

IT'S FINALLY OVER!!!  I'm sooooo happy not to see any more negative political ads on TV, get annoying phone calls all day and night, or receive TONS of political junk mail!  Life is good again!!  I just shudder to think of all the money candidates put into their advertising campaigns.  Billions of dollars wasted, in my opinion.  Just think of the better choice they all could have made by earmarking most of that advertising money for charity...instead of drumming their pleas on numb ears.  (I don't know about you all, but we totally tuned out all ads after the first week of being bombarded.)  With social media outlets (like facebook and twitter), candidates can get their message out to the voters...FOR FREE!!  Sure, not all voters utilize social media, so I'll even allow some TV ads, phone calls, and mailings.  But the political advertising blitz these last couple of months is unwanted, annoying, and a total waste of money.  It's definitely time for a change in campaign finances. Okay, I'm climbing off my soapbox now.

Keaton voted for his very first time...and we think he totally voted correctly.  I guess he really does listen to everything we've been saying over the years and we're so proud he shares our left-wing beliefs.  We're all thankful we live in a country where we're all entitled to our personal beliefs...however uptight, racist, homophobic, and wrong some people may be.  ;-)

Happy Halloween!

I know, I know...Halloween was last week, but I just now finally have some time to sit at the computer and update this.  While trying to tackle BOTH computers' serious issues (and creating some new curse words), carving pumpkins (well, Matt did...I cheated and glued buttons on mine), cheering on the Hornets at their game on Thursday, raking leaves, hosting a dinner party, and spending a day at Matt's brother's house, I just haven't had time.  I'm happy to announce that I think I have one computer fixed (pretty much) and my blood pressure is finally beginning to drop a bit. 

 



So, Halloween here was cold, wet, and gloomy.  We had about 160 trick-or-treaters (half of our usual 300+), so that means that we had some left-over candy...including a full bag of Snickers.  Darn.  Sports was our theme this year and we hung up our K College flag and WMU flag (I like how Matt says the U of M flag won't fit....hmmmm),  and dressed in our costumes (including Cyrus in his Detroit Lions jersey).  We tried to sit on the porch to pass out candy like we usually do, but we got too cold and had to wimp out and move inside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hit the store early the morning after Halloween to stock up on some discounted wigs and costumes for future photo opportunities.  Even Cyrus got a new costume...he'll be wise Yoda sometime.  Now I have to find some Star Wars costumes to fit into the theme.  And I'm not wearing the Princess Leia bikini...but maybe Matt will.

 



Basketball season is getting underway.  K had its first exhibition game against WMU on Thursday night.  The team and parents went out to dinner after the game and it was nice to meet some new parents and talk with the coaches a bit.  Oh, and to visit with Keaton for a bit.  ;-)

We hosted a fondue dinner for our friend's birthday on Saturday.  Three courses of yumminess...if I do say so myself.  I love fondue, but it definitely is a time commitment.  It took me an hour and a half to prepare everything (meat, veggies, fruit, bread, and dipping sauces) and then it took us about 2 hours to eat.  But, I definitely recommend a fondue dinner...when you have some serious time to be able to enjoy it!

Happy Birthday to Keaton!

 

Keaton turned 21 on Saturday!  We enjoyed celebrating with him, his beloved, his roommates, and some family members at a seafood restaurant.  After dinner (and thoroughly embarrassing him when everyone sang to him in the restaurant) we headed back to his dorm room to watch the Tigers, open presents, and cut into the adorable cake his girlfriend had made for him.  Even though the Wings aren't playing, he still is a HUGE fan and the cake was absolutely perfect!  The only thing that could have made his birthday any better was a win by the Tigers...and a settlement for the NHL.

 

 

To further embarrass Keaton, I had to make a cute little birthday video.  So, click on the arrow below, turn up the volume, sit back, and enjoy to a trip down birthday lane.  I dare you not to smile or tap your foot.  Enjoy!!

 

 

   

More Fall Stuff

 

 

 

Okay, I'm now officially ready for winter.  I don't want it to be winter yet, but I am ready for it just in case.  And living in Michigan, we could have snow any day now.  I switched around all the closets and drawers and packed up all our summer stuff last week. I also added more fall touches to my already-decorated house. I can't ever leave anything alone. Just ask the dog. I'm constantly in his face snapping his picture or kissing him or talking/singing to him.  I guess I can kind of see why I also drive Keaton crazy. 

 

We enjoyed a nice visit from my dad and step-mom this past week. They're living in TN now and their blood has definitely thinned in the years they've been down there. They were chilly in our 50 degree weather while I thought about wearing shorts. Just kidding...they were packed away, remember?  We went to the casino for our monthly donation to the Indians, but still had a lot of fun. Keaton came home for a visit and I ended up making him all sorts of goodies. (Can you say spoiled?)  It was a nice weekend and now I think it's time for my nap.  Finally. 

Cyrus enjoyed cuddling with Keaton...until the yelling when the Tigers lost their lead.  (My ears are still ringing.)



This is Matt getting ready to bite into his homemade caramel apple dipped in chocolate chips. 
As a matter of fact, this is the same face he made when the Yankees tied the game last night.