Space Station Has Broken Toilet

Here is the article if you want to read it: Broken Toilet

Bottom line of the article: The toilet is broken, the space shuttle Discovery is going to take spare parts up today (they have a scheduled trip, they aren't just sending Roto Rooter via space shuttle)

Anyway, my point in bringing this to your attention is one line in the article that says "The space toilets vent waste matter into space". I am completely grossed out by this. Crap just flying around in the air, or I suppose more accurately, floating around in space? Yuck!

Also, who knew that if they married an astronaut they would also get a plumber?

Flashback Friday (2)

Me, Dee Dee and Christie at one of our favorites stops from Pasadena to Grants Pass. I believe this cool restaurant is/was in Redding.

Sydney's First Trip To The Valley of the Sun

Not only was it her first trip to Phoenix it was her first plane trip. Sydney was great on both flights. We had a wonderful lunch at Richardsons with Laura and Diane. After lunch we were able to hang out and catch up with quite a few of our Phoenix friends. (At what better place than Starbucks?) Thanks for visiting with us today! After Starbucks we had a very special visit with Brittney, Melody and Jessica. Girls, Sydney wanted me to tell you that she loves you so much and can't wait to see you again!

Happy Birthday to the Police Trainer 2 Champion!

Several years ago, James went to Laughlin and he found the video game "Police Trainer 2". He played it and soon he was the Champion on the game scoring board. When he went to Laughlin a year later somebody had beat him but he was still listed as the high scorer in spots 2-7. When he left Laughlin, last summer, he was listed on the scoreboard for spots 2-10.

Last week, James returned to Laughlin and immediately went to the Arcade to check the scores. He was thrilled to see he was still listed on spots 2-9. Now he has returned to Champion status:















As a former Ms Pacman Champion, I am very proud and I will count on you to always protect me. Oh, yeah.......HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I love you!

Some Videos of Sydney

Happy 1st Anniversary Matt and Kim!!!

Congratulations on making it through your first year of marriage! Your first year was full of challenges and you came through them all! We love you!

P.S. Hope you got rich in Laughlin...... and you share ;)

Visiting The Old Stomping Grounds

Thursday, Sydney and I went to visit my old stomping grounds, San Gabriel Valley Medical Center. We had a great time visiting with all our old friends who were always asking if I would ever have a baby. Everyone agreed that she was adorable and worth the wait.

Marian came through with a couple adorable knitted hats, yeah! It was great seeing everyone!

Cooking For Causes

The latest craze:


I did a search for cooking for a cause and a page came up that is selling a cookbook with recipes used in the South during the Civil War. Is this book really an example of cooking for a cause?

Cooking Spices (2 of 2)

I stated in Cooking Spices (1 of 2), today I cleaned out my spice cabinet. After tossing a bunch of spices in the trash I got to think that there is someone living in Arizona that might want to use my spices when making their special meal. This person likes to combine different sauces together when cooking. For example mixing leftover A1, ketchup, teriyaki and mustard together. So I dug the following out of the trash:

Dry Mustard, Parsley, Old Bay, Parmesan Powder, Lemon Pepper (x2), Pepper, Allspice, Cinnamon, Ginger, Cloves, Herbs de Provence, Red Pepper Flakes, Cumin, Chili Pepper, Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning, Jamaican Jerk Seasoning, Grillmates Hamburger (Third Photo)

I then proceeded to pour the contents of each spice into a large vase. The spices filled the vase all the way to the top and when I was done I thought it looked like a work of art. (First Photo) Next I realize that this would not be practical as I needed to combine the spices better. (Second Photo). The consistency turned out perfectly. (Fourth Photo). When I was done, I realized that since this was all the expired spices I should just throw them all away. Oh Well, it was a fun exercise.

Cooking Spices (1 of 2)

When it comes to spices I am a terrible shopper. I either assume I have the spice and get home and don't have it or I assume I don't have it, buy it and then I have two. I can never get it right and I spend so much time standing in front of the spices only to almost always make the wrong choice. Today, I remedied this problem once and for all.

I cleaned out my spice rack and created a note file in my blackberry. The file lists every spice and the date I opened the container. (Spices generally have a shelf life of 6 months to 2 years) If you have spices that are over 2 years you need to toss them and buy new ones.

My favorite spice is probably thyme. (Because I know you were all wondering-lol)

You're It!

I was tagged by Andrea for a six word description memoir meme. I'm in.

New Mom and Shameless Blog Solicitor

Here are the rules for this meme:
1) Write your own six-word memoir about yourself.
2) Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you'd like.
3) Link to the person that tagged you in your post and to this original post if possible, so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere.
4) Tag five more blogs with links.
5) And don't forget to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play.

Jenn Ann, Queen B, Bianka, Jinjer, KFUG, ABBA: consider yourselves tagged.

Dad's Quarter Collection-The Results

There was $1202.00 or 4,808 quarters. Congratulations, James! (He guessed $1200)

Flashback Friday (1)

New Series: Flashback Friday. I have adopted this idea from the Braun Family Circus blog.

Observations about this photo: (1) Mom is hot (2) I remember we all had those shoes mom is wearing (3) Becca looks like I have been kicking her butt all day (4) I look like I am about to do it again.

Dad's Quarter Collection

Is getting cashed in this weekend. Lets all guess how many quarters there are in this jar. For Family dad is going to give 20 bucks to the closest, everybody else gets bragging rights! Results will be provided next week. I have placed the tall Starbucks cup next to the jar so you can get the percpective of how large the jar is.

So c'mon, submit your best guess.

The Binder Assembler

Today, I logged into Facebook and observed the queen's current status. Her status said: Queen B is working on binder assembly. I initially went to leave her a Facebook wall message but then thought that my comments were blog worthy not just wall worthy.

It is important to note the following supporting facts:
*For the 5 people that don't know, Queen B and I work for the same company.
*Queen B is an American
*Queen B is on assignment this week in Mexico

So let's go back to her status. She is assembling binders. We are now spending money to send Americans to Mexico to assemble binders. What?!?!?! I wonder what she will be doing next?

Three Questions for the Queen:
(1) What else are you working on?
(2) Why didn't you assemble the binders in Texas and ship them?
(3) Did you buy the binders in Mexico?
(3a) And if so did you negotiate the price?
(3b) Or at least barter for them?

Can't you just see Queen B at the Guadalajara Staples buying binders: Yo soy la Reina y tengo que comprar algunos aglutinantes. (I am the Queen and I need to buy some binders)

Share The Joy (Yes, I Stole That Saying)

Congratulations, Mom and Dad on your new car!!!! Who would have thought that they would be the first owners of a car with an installed navigation and DVD system? (James-Congratulations on getting the old car)

Forget Milk!

Thanks MTC

11 Years Later

We have this:
















Thank you for giving me the best gift ever during year 10. Happy Anniversary! I love you!

What Do You Do Over Dinner?

The other day, I ran into these placemats at the Home Improvement store. First off, why in the world would they sell placements there? They don't sell plates, napkins or food but rather paint, lumber and placements. LOL! Second, does education come before family bonding? Who spends their time at the dinner table memorizing the names of US Presidents? Or the types of Dinosaurs? How about World Geography? Any takers for the Solar System?

My personal favorite has to be the placemat on colors. Look at the item representing each color. How does the placemat creator select the items? My favorite is the brown briefcase. What is yours?

Hungry? Eat Lunch at Costco (Part Deux)

I didn't mention that yesterday's Costco trip was a bust-I scheduled a last minute lunch while on my way there not thinking that it was hot out and I couldn't leave any food in my car. So, I walked around Costco, looked at all the samples but only tried a couple (Pork Adobo and Shrimp Scampi) and then ended up buying nothing.

Today, Andria posted that the new Costco was opening so I decided to venture out to it. When I told mom that Sydney and I were going there, she got jealous (since I was going to the opening) and decided to come too. So, Sydney, Mom, Joshua, Elizabeth and I went to Costco. Today, I had lunch there. Here is what we had: (They had more but this is only what we ate)

Breakfast: Cinnamon Muffin
Appetizer: Chips and Guacamole, Stilton Bleu Cheese, Parmigano Reggiano
Salad: Oriental Chicken Salad, Cherry Bleu Cheese Salad
Main Course: Roitissere Chicken, Shrimp (something, I don't remember),
Dessert: Apple Pie, Animal Cookies
Beverage: Orange Juice, Organic Milk

Overall, I noted three things: There were lots of samples, but not as many as Glendale. Two, yesterday I said the hot dog and coke were still under 2 bucks, to be exact, it's $1.50. Three: When a new store opens, the carts are super clean.

P.S. Jenn Ann, I spent $124.15

Hungry? Eat Lunch at Costco

I frequent Costco and usually, when I go there they have about 4-5 people offering samples of different food items and I'll admit that I usually try some of the samples. Today, I happened upon Costco in Glendale at about 12:00 noon. It was a smorgasbord. If you are low on cash and need a meal, I am hereby suggesting Costco as you will not only get a main course you will get a full meal. These were the items being sampled for lunch today: (We are going to pretend we are ordering off a menu)

Appetizers: French Bread Pizza Bites, Tequila Lime Chicken Wings
Salad: Oriental Chicken Salad, Barbeque Chicken Salad
Main Course: Pork Adobo, Chipotle Steak, Skirt Steak, Kung Pao Chicken, 3 Cheese Tortellini, Shrimp Scampi, Chicken Sandwiches, Jalapeno Skewers
Dessert: Cheese Puffs, Chocolate Pudding
Beverage: Starbucks Ground Coffee, Tang
Other: Roasted Almonds

If that doesn't fill you up you can still buy a hot dog and a coke outside for about 2 bucks

Look What Me's And Aunt Shi Built

Joshua At Starbucks

McDonalds Versus Starbucks

First off, I realize this is my second McDonalds post in a week. (Freaky) McDonalds has recently introduced Iced Coffee, in case you are one of 5 people on the planet that hasn't seen the commercial, it can be found here. It seriously plays all the time. McDonalds is trying to compete directly with Starbucks and they start off by offering their iced coffee at $1.79.

Twice now, I have been to the mall and
everybody I looked at has had an iced coffee from McDonalds. Today the chick working at hot dog and a stick was drinking one, an older asian couple were sitting their drinking it and two young, what I assumed were friends were chatting on a bench drinking the coffee. I stopped by my moms later and there was a Hazelnut one that James had bought.

So I guess my question is, does McDonalds have a prayer of competing with Starbucks? It appears so, I can imagine if I was going to McDonalds I could order one of these but I would never go to McDonalds specifically for it. If I am going anywhere for coffee it would be Starbucks every time.

My last comment on this is that I am surprised that McDonalds does not offer Mocha. Isn't Mocha the most popular flavored coffee? They offer Hazelnut, Vanilla, Sugar Free Vanilla, Caramel and Regular. Year Round, Starbucks offers Vanilla, Sugar-Free Vanilla, Hazelnut, Sugar-Free Hazelnut, Mint, Raspberry, Caramel, and Toffee Nut, Cinnamon Dolce, Mocha, and White Chocolate Mocha. Seasonally they offer, Melon, Peppermint, Pumpkin, Eggnog and Gingerbread-sometimes more......So Take that McDonalds!

Welcome To The Jungle

No Binkies or Nuks

Sydney uses the MAM (Sassy) pacifier because I like the looks of them the best. We refer to it strictly as the pacifier.

I hate the Nuk. The little hook looks like the ring a bull wears in it's nose. I also remember some kid (not sure from where) that had slobber all over and he had this Nuk type of pacifier and I was disgusted. Bottomline, Nuk's are boycotted from the Thomas house.

The Binky brand is also banned in our house. Not only do most Binkies have what I refer to as the "Nuk hook", I can't stand the name Binky. Six children grew up in the Evans household and there were no Binkies, Nuks, Nookies, Noo Noos or Dummies, there were however pacifiers, and they were yummy.

Mothers Day 2008

First Mothers Day

On this, my first Mothers Day I will share with you some of what I have learned in the past (almost) 5 weeks:

*While I used to think I was quick at getting dressed and ready in the morning, I am now faster than ever. I have condensed showering, brushing teeth, makeup, hair, letting Katie out to pee, feeding her and having my breakfast down to 20 minutes.
*Don't underestimate the time it takes to feed a baby during the middle of the night.
*Sometimes suppositories don't melt.
*It's wise to pick a BFF and to have a sister who are good with inserting suppositories and giving infant enemas.
*Even newborns appreciate the Starbucks experience.
*Diaper bags don't have to be huge.
*My right arm is getting really strong so how come it feels so weak?
*The stroller isn't as big of a pain as I anticipated.
*I wish I had played with dolls, it's fun dressing her up.
*I have no idea how my mom raised six of us.
*I don't miss work and I'm jealous of stay-at-home moms.
*I finally understand why some stay at home mom's say they never have time to get anything done. (I never got that before)

Happy Mothers Day, Mom! (and all the other moms too!)

Sorry Grandma, They Made Me Wear This

Southern Style Chicken Sandwich

McDonalds has launched a new sandwich, The "Southern Style Chicken Sandwich". For some reason, I arrived at McDonalds the other day. Actually, it wasn't for some reason, I really wanted one of their ice cream cones (Did you know that not only are they reduced fat they are only 150 calories). When I arrived I suddenly was dying for a coke and then I saw that they had a new Chicken Sandwich and I decided to just go for it. I didn't get the ice cream cone, instead I ordered one Southern Style Chicken Sandwich and a kids coke. I had no idea what came on the Southern Style Chicken Sandwich and my only question when ordering was "Does this have mayonnaise on it?" When the person taking my order said no, I ordered it.

Imagine my surprise when I opened the sandwich and saw this:

The only thing on this sandwich was a huge breaded chicken breast and two pickles. Is this really the way they make chicken sandwiches in the south? Two pickles, bun and an enormous piece of chicken? Is anybody reading from the south that can you answer this question? Seriously, could this sandwich look any more plain and boring?

BTW: Surprisingly it wasn't bad but I did share some with Katie. She gave it two paws up.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Have a happy birthday!

Enjoy your new laptop!

We love you!