goats and chickens for angel tree!

alright, i go my second batch of Christmas cards sent out (obviously not the dog ones- the boxed set i got so i could get an early start)

you have to understand that i am NOTORIOUS for sending out 'be-lated' Christmas cards!

then i went through some gre practice yesterday and i did ok with the vocabulary, but i really must brush up on my math and the rules...hmm. i never was very good at math- i think i could have been, but i had a poor teacher in 9th grade (poor as in not very good...although he may have been poor as well), then i struggled at e.i.s. as well-thankfully i was able to get tutoring from my volleyball coach's wife-God bless mrs. smallwood! and then there were the study groups-thanks to my classmates for trying to explain things! my brain just didn't really function that way!

this morning when we got up, i had a craving for those pumpkin pancakes i had over thanksgiving! (i bought canned pumpkin yesterday, because that's when the craving actually began)

the only problem was that the store where i found it only had the huge cans, not the small one which i needed...so..it's a good thing the dogs like a little pumpkin

so i found a great little recipe on cooking.com i think...of course i had to add my own topping, but that's no biggie. it hit the spot even without the whipped cream.

you cannot tell, but they were delicious!

yesterday i also got a little package in the mail, which i have been waiting to receive for an awful long time. i didn't want to pay the extra fro shipping, so i chose the 'value shipping.' i didn't realize that when i ordered it back on october 25, it would take for-NEVER to get here! it literally got shoved into my box yesterday. oh well, it arrived. i cannot show you what i got until i send it off and it has been received because it would ruin the surprise. it's not even going to be that exciting for most of you. so don't get your hopes up.

note to self:plan ahead if i plan to get gifts for people or don't use value shipping.

i mentioned that we are participating in angel tree at school for families at our school. well, i just got a catalog in the mail and it made me rethink what i bought for our family. this is the kind of thing that really makes a difference..

this is the QR code if you have the ap, you can look into it a bit more. i thought it was a great opportunity- a way to really help those who know need.

we have a very skewed vision of 'need' here in the united states. we are fortunate and most people don't even realize it or appreciate it. i wonder what our angel tree family would do if we got them a goat and a couple of chickens...

ok, so breakfast was good, but guess what makes a delicious snack? pumpkin pancakes with nutella! don't knock it 'til you try it! 

it's been a relaxing, lazy sunday for me and the boys and we've loved it-they cannot wait for Christmas break!
julie

if i had a spare, at least i could change it!

i had my day all planned. i was going to get some things for our angel tree family and make a quick grocery stop. well, when i went to my car, i was very frustrated.

flat.

so i pulled out the manual, shifted things around in the trunk and looked for the spare, only to realize that when i lifted the "trap door" there were some lug nuts and the lug-key, and some strange looking tool and a screw driver...but no spare! then there was this box-like thing and a canister. hmm...so i pulled it all out and began to look through it. well, utila came without a spare. there is a tire kit. so i had to figure out all of the steps because you get one step with this canister.

this is the mini air compressor with the sealant canister

so i had to connect hoses, and connect the thing to the power outlet, and turn the car on to get the thing to start to pump the tire up enough to get down to the tire shop to get it taken care of.
 it's a little troubling when you see the warning before getting ready to switch on the 'go' button!

when i got there, it was of course drizzling. i went to the same one i went last time-AA tire. $10 patch! woo hoo!

when the young man was taking the tire off, i was watching, and there it was-the little spiky thing that made it's way into my tire. on the canister of sealant (the yellow thing with the hose), you can only use it once, then you're supposed to get a new one to replace it. well, i went to oreilly auto parts, and the guy looked at the canister and asked me what it was. then after i explained it, he said he'd never heard of it, and took it to ask his manager. while he was off talking, another guy asked what the deal was and i explained. he said, " i never heard of a car that didn't come with a spare. you should go into the dealership and see if it isn't hidden in there somewhere." really? in that little bitty thing? where they gonna hide a tire? well, the kid came back and they had no clue, so i guess my option is to go to the dealership.

i tried to go online to the website on the hose, but it was all in german. yes, it was the correct website, but i couldn't read it, so i kept looking for information and there were a few interesting sites, but mostly people who were talking about getting mini spares. hmm.

it still had some  of the sealant juice leaking out of the hose, and i think i may have a new stain on the seat. boo.

when i finally got the tire changed, i felt much better. hopefully the patch is a good one, because if air leaks out, i no longer have the capability of filling the tire. i made my way to the store to get what i had originally started out to get.

angel tree child shirt and jeans-shoes didn't make the picture.

and when i got home i grabbed some treats and set my mind to it. i decided that this time it was do or die, and the boys were somewhat compliant. they did a pretty good job (in the sample pics, i did not include the pics where they were moving around and fighting, and looking off, and just trying to annoy). if you didn't see them earlier, please go to the link and leave me a comment to help me choose! thanks to those of you who did earlier! i will make a decision so that i can go get some pics to make holiday cards.

feeling flat? deal with it!
julie