Tagged! - meme time

Three of my friends, Susan, Liv, and Angela, tagged me.

According to the rules of the game, I need to:
• Link to the person that tagged me and post the rules on my blog.
• Share 7 random and/or weird facts about myself on said blog.
• Tag 7 random people at the end of my post and include links to their blogs.
• Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Okay, in no particular order:

1. I am thyroid-less. I had a total thyroidectomy three years ago, and so I have the distinct honor of taking levothyroxine for the rest of my life to compensate.

2. People say I look taller than I really am. I'm only 5'5-1/2".

3. I am a pile maker. My husband can't stand them, but I celebrate them as they are preludes to great living - torn out magazine articles, coupons, to-do lists, dog-eared catalogs.

4. I haven't been back to my homeland, South Korea, in over 28 years.

5. I am pessimistic by nature, so I try hard to reverse my negative thinking.

6. When I was a young teen, I used to hang out in Hallmark stores for hours, looking at card designs.

7. I get delirious after a successful bargain hunting experience! It's a great buzz.

There you have it. Your life will never be the same again now that you know these tidbits. You will have to split your Jeopardy! winnings with me.

Okay Susan, I'm passing the baton to the next seven:

Tiffany
Kimberly
Nicky
Ann (aka pinewoodtoo)
Stephanie (aka scarson)
Debbie
Jen

Playing with photo mosaics

Ah, so much to learn. Susan has kindly explained to me how to put together a mosaic after I saw her super cool one on her blog. I didn't have time to upload more than four photos, but it's a start, right? These are from November, when my brother Josh and sister-by-marriage Betty visited. Betty and Amanda spent three hours constructing the gingerbread house, and they deserve kudos!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

Did it snow on Tuesday! In the last three and a half years we've lived in Nampa, we've never had such an onslaught. Some of you in Wisconsin or Illinois might be snickering, but to us, it was significant and glorious. I almost don't mind shoveling it. Almost.

While Abigail was napping, Amanda and I ventured out into the Wild White Yonder - right in our front and backyards - and here are some moments I was lucky to capture:

(click on photos for larger images)









"Mommy, the snowflakes land everywhere except on my tongue - my face is getting tired." (Nothing a little hot milk with marshmallows can't fix)
-Amanda

The four-year-old says

Amanda is fascinated by her parents' ages. More specifically with our age difference. She keeps asking questions about who was born when, and how many days, months, years apart we are. So it was no surprise when she started on this oft-visited conversation earlier this evening.

Amanda: "Who was born first, Mommy or Daddy?"
Ron: "Daddy was."
Amanda: "But your birthday is after Mommy's - yours is in September and hers is in August."
Me: "Daddy's older than Mommy. Way older (rib rib rib)."
Ron (mock hurt on his face): "Hey."
Me: "Think of it this way. Daddy was almost ten years old when Mommy was born."
Amanda: (Eureka moment)"Oooohhhh! Daddy, did you visit Mommy at the hospital then?"
silence
Ron: "Um, not really."

I get a kick out of the way Amanda's brain spits out these great conversations. I love her so much.