Happy New Year

There's a LEGO replica of Hogwarts on our big table that O is rightfully proud of


We had a fantastic visit to Omaha which included some gingerbread house making


Sam the Cat introduced me to the Best Innocuous Office Prank of 2011 (so far). You hit control-alt-arrow key and it rotates your unsuspecting office-mate's computer screen image 90 degrees.

Believe in Yourself

it couldn't be done, they said.
fools rush in where angels fear to tread, they said.
call the f&$*in' plumber, they said.

But after only a couple hours, and only one trip to home despot, the dishwasher is installed and functional.

Jammies to school

We figured out how to get O excited for school: half day, hot chocolate, movies and wearing pjs

Merry Christmas!

Just another SkyMall plug

Look at this ridiculous product:

As if you needed another reason to check out SkyMall, the online version allows you to read reviews:
"There are few products on the market today that combine the sophistication of oenophilia with the practicality of a lanyard but this product marries the two deftly. Before owning this product, I couldn’t count the number of times I found myself at parties thinking, “Argh, I like drinking but this glass of wine is really cutting down on my grabbing efficiency. I could be grabbing at least twice as much stuff without this glass.”
As though SkyMall had imbedded a hidden camera in my heart, no sooner had I complained than they provided the wine glass holder necklace. It allows me the freedom to do anything I want at a party (save leaning, bending over, jumping, twisting or walking briskly).
Things I have grabbed with ease since owning the Wine Glass Holder Necklace:
Cheese!
Toilet Seats!
Other Glasses of Wine!
Steering Wheels!
Breasts!
A Sword!
It isn’t just a fashionable and functional necklace, it is $25 worth of life enhancement. I recommend this product to everyone except those with irregularly shaped chests or those born with hearts on the outside of their bodies."

Com-post

This flimsy plastic contraption has changed our lives. Remember that dryer lint I used to ball up and put in the Christmas tree stand because we don't have a trash can in the basement? Well *now*, at least occasionally, it goes in the compost bin. And the contents of this bin, which include not only dryer lint but also leaves, coffee grounds, cat hair, and ruptured pi~natas among other things, will combine with bacteria, worms, sun and precipitation to become tomatoes and parsley. I was pretty skeptical, too, but when I was turning the compost heap on Thursday, there was steam rising out of it. "That's a load of sh!t" you say? Exactly.

Charming 2BR for rent/sale

Yeah, I said 'charming,' the second most common word in real estate ads behind 'light-filled.' I would show you a picture but there are still some ratty chairs chained to the front porch that Tim *swears* he will remove soon. Apparently while the former tenant was down the shore all summer, Tim and his pals drank beer on the stoop all night whilst sitting in the ratty chairs. That's right...I said charming. And now it has a freshly painted front door and some precious, seasonally appropriate greenery in the windown boxes. 1601 Kater, Philly PA -- your new home!

Tiger bash

The Chili Cook-Off was a hit, I think. We only had 9 chilis but they were really good and we raised $250 for the Connecticut Food Bank. Jason's straight up beef n bean won the coveted Golden Pepper award.

This is the princeton pin~ata prior to its destruction. Lucy, one of Owen's classmates, made the crushing blow.