We wish you a belated Christmas card, and a...

(for all those-s out there...)

You make me feel like a ....

Magical Woman! (Woman!)

After watching a recent DVD of S1m0ne, and hearing my wife's take on the lyrics the title role sings on her pop debut, I realized she does indeed have a unique taste in Anime.  A little different than mine, but a breath of fresh air at times.

Example:  I like heavy action programs, with a scant few drama types.  But hey, any story can be epic enough even if it doesn't have a fight sequence, as long as the main characters have a struggle to overcome!

One the other hand, she likes heavy drama stories, but there's a few that do still have a fight or two ongoing that captivates my attention long enough to draw me in mid-chapter.  She gobbles up episodes while doing her veils, and sometimes after coming home from work, I have to play "catch up" on the latest episode shes on!

However, there are definitely some programs that we can both agree to watch that have a mix of drama and action.  For the most part, I enjoy sharing my anime collection and re-watching some of my favorites with her.

As I said -- any story can be epic, as long as the characters have some form of struggle or obstacle to break through that enables them to tackle the next challenge!

Already planning for next year...

Something like this... except we're not getting a pug dog!

Post-mortem disorder...

In other words,... "after the Halloween chaos"

The Halloween Parade begins tomorrow...

Monday: General Kenobi in trooper uniform

Tuesday: Black Hole Trooper (Black Stormtrooper, Vader's wingmen)

Wednesday (Sarah's birthday): Chewbacca and "Bespin"-3PO

Thursday- Halloween and Trunk-or-Treat: C3PO, then X-wing fighter pilot for the kiddies (unmasked)

Friday - Day of the Dead: suit-and-tie T-shirt.

Because Mommy said so...

Product tags created on spoonflower.com for etsy.com/shop/createyourdream

We cannot claim ownership of this idea as it was mentioned on another blog, but a great idea nonetheless deserves to be shared.

Sarah was so happy to get these in, until she realized that after cutting out the first tag that the silk it was printed on frays easily.  Melting the edges was not an option as this type of silk burns quickly, as she soon found out.  So what to do?  Russ suggested, "Call Mom!"  Mom's inspired answer: Fray Check.  What a lifesaver!

As proof of concept, this blog entry is for you, Mom!

Halloween anticipation...

We're counting down the days...

Oops, I left one of my newest collections in the shot!  Candy bowl Yoda's on top of the bookstand.  Laughs at you, he does.

Too bad that I can't wear Chewie, Darth Vader or my Stormtrooper to Trunk-or-Treat at the church.  They don't want masks to scare off the kids.  (They're not masks, they're helmets!)  Looks like I'll have to use the Force and wear X-wing pilot or my Sith/Jedi outfit, or perhaps General Kenobi in uniform.  Sigh.

We got our tickets to...

We're excited - hopefully this semi-annual session on Friday and Saturday we'll finally finish the D-day dice tournament we began 6 months ago!

Also of note, Sarah found a cool website to play a new card resource game that was just introduced to us not too log ago visiting a fellow boardgamer: Dominion

We like it, and theres a multi-player option too.

2nd annual Star Wars Reads day 2013

Although this conflicted with the afternoon General Conference session, we decided to re-watch the internet stream.  Good ol' Dee Vee Are!

The biggest kid got to test-drive his hidden accessory for Chewie's roars and 3PO's replies.  Went off without a hitch, except for needs rechargeable batteries.  Very hot under the fur, and sweat dripped off in puddles.  Lots of fans and kids high-fived Chewie's gloves, just wished somehow some cool air could get under the latex.  Hopefully snapshots forthcoming from the Garrison website soon.

The only last free collectible left over from the event at Barnes & Noble was a button that said "Best Hair" with a pic of another wookie from the Jedi Academy series by Scholastic.  Very appropriate!

Next project involves hot glue, portable christmas lights, industrial fluorescent light prisms, reflective paper, and hopefully a bandsaw.

Labor day... Schmabor day...

Here ya go Tim...

from the US department of Labor website:
Labor day is "a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country."  (Here's the Wikipedia version)

And so, I decided to do absolutely as little labor as possible around the house and enjoy my day off.

But it happened anyway.
Sarah went to go do her morning shift.  (I always miss her when shes not with me.)
I cleared out the excess green tree branches from the ones I cut off the huge pine tree out back, fearing winters wrath would snap our power cables and phone line.
I gathered tinder and kindling from the dead pine needles and cones for our last summer barbecue.
It rained.
And then the new dryer was delivered by Lowes.

So our tactic changed.

Perfect rainy day activities:
Nap
Snuggle
Drink lemonade or hot cocoa
Read a book
Play board games

And here's the other link too, Tim: the free version - http://www.ddaydice.com/

Happy me-day!

• Decided to take the day off work to spend it at home - less stressful.
• Got up early in the morning to do my "dailies", daily quests in WOW.  Been collecting reputation with a faction that will soon be hard/extinct to get.
• Went to the movie matinee to see Monsters University - just as cute as the original.
• Went shopping for a few groceries we forgot Saturday, and went window shopping for more family movies to add to the collection.
• Took a nap, snuggled with the wife.
• Opened presents throughout the day.
• Ate a sensible dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in town.
• Played a game with my new present.  Looking forward to sharing it with dad-in-law as he's in the army reserves - could be a fun military game with him.
• And planning to go to bed early!  Currently deciding which dessert to choose... cake or ice cream?

Interesting things learned this weekend...

A friend at work and several neighbors have told us about the new format of the presentation at the temple.  So we decided to go and see it for ourselves, since we hadn't attended for a while.  (We really need to go more often!)  One unexpected thing was that the fiber-optic stars in the ceiling of the Creation room lit up and twinkled during one particular line.  Apparently, this used to happen in former days, but we had never experienced it previously.  Kind of neat to see and hear a slight "ooh" from some others who didn't expect this, either.  It also made us think about some of the grand magnificence of the beauty of the Earth around us that sometimes we take for granted day by day.  And other important things.

Russ is taking tomorrow off, because you-know-why.

The joys of replacing a clothes dryer (amongst other chores)...

So, the dryer has broken down after a good 3-year run.  It still heats, just doesn't turn/tumble.  So after the wife came home yesterday from a double shift, and she had some food and a lengthy nap, we decided to go window shopping for a new dryer at a few home improvement places around town.  We found a few inexpensive prospects, and decided we won't make a final decision until we at least check out how much it might cost just to fix it - maybe a turning belt got loose or something.  As this was an appliance that was donated to us when we got married, we're certainly not complaining!  In the meantime, I've decided to put up a temporary clothesline to dry out our wet laundry just like former times in the good old-fashioned sun!

We also got side-tracked by an inexpensive ceiling fan to install downstairs to give us a little more cool (or at least, circulating) air in the bedroom, and a few cutting tools to remove a couple tree branches before winter sags the pine tree close to the phone and power lines out back.

I've also decided not to set up the pool on the tarp again as it killed part of the lawn and I had to re-seed that muddy spot.  Maybe when I get a few plywood planks about 8-10 feet long I'll reconsider setting it up with a few cement blocks underneath for support.  That way it won't damage the lawn so much again.

Weekends just don't seem to have enough time to get what you want done anymore.  I'm sooooooo looking forward to some well-deserved time off work next Monday! :)

Unexpected reunions...

So while attending our ward's family Home Evening summer Picnic, a surprise awaited me.  My brother and sister-in-law from thecardsweredealt.blogspot.com stopped by and got the 10 cent tour of the new house.  They had come down to see Grammy & Grumpy up in Sugar City, and to do some shopping in Pokey/Chubbuck.  Pleasant surprise, indeed.  They snapped a pic before scuttling off with the kids in tow.  (Look for said pic on their site to be updated, soon!)  We're keeping our promises to get our blogs updated!

De-stressifying...

So, I've decided that a few hours of work on the yard is almost just as productive as a day off work.
Maybe I should work more on the yard and house after coming home from a stressful day.

Projects accomplished: de-weeded the back side of the house and sprayed Weed-be-gone all along the edges.
Next up: Insecticide!

"The time has come," the Walrus said...

"To speak of many things,
of barbecues and chimney caps
and new church/ward callings!
And whether the lawn's been freshly cut,
And while its not raining!"
- No disrespect to Mrs. Carroll intended.


We were wondering how long it would be before the wife and I got a call from the local bishopric about either speaking in church or about interviewing us for a new calling.  Looks like it was the latter of the two.

So now Sarah is working as the 2nd councilor in the Primary, and I am the 2nd councilor in the Young Men's presidency.  We got our work cut out for us.

In other news, I bought our first cordless and battery-operated weed trimmer and 2 gallons of insecticide to put down a barrier along the outside of the house -- and wouldn't ya know it?  It rained the majority of Saturday.  So I couldn't trim the weeds or spray the basement walls.  Have to do it next weekend.  Ah, well.

Count your many blessings challenge...

Heard a great talk in sacrament meeting this past Sunday.  One elderly sister advised everyone to write down 100 things they were grateful for from this Ensign article.  So we took it in stride.

1.     Write 10 physical abilities you are grateful for.

2.     Write 10 material possessions you are grateful for.

3.     Write 10 living people you are grateful for.

4.     Write 10 deceased people you are grateful for.

5.     Write 10 things about nature you are grateful for.

6.     Write 10 things about today you are grateful for.

7.     Write 10 places on earth you are grateful for.

8.     Write 10 modern inventions you are grateful for.

9.     Write 10 foods you are grateful for.

10.     Write 10 things about the gospel you are grateful for.

The next time I feel a little down-in-the-dumps, I'm gonna review this list and maybe revise it from time to time.

Our list.

Domo Arigato...

So I was conversing with a friend of mine at work of my contemplation of the possibilities I was considering for my next Halloween costume collection.  And he came up with an epic idea...

Below is an excerpt of the email he sent out to my entire work office.

______________________________________________________

Team

As many of us are aware, Halloween is a very special time of year particularly for Russ Miner.  This year, Russ has been deep in thought as to what costume he should get to add to his collection.

-         Hmm… How can I possibly decide what to get this year?

And then the answer came suddenly… as do many fantastically perfect ideas!

-         Eureka!  I’ve got it!  I’ll leave it up to the center to decide!

Please help Russ.  Click HERE to cast your vote in a survey format to help Russ decide which to choose.  He has narrowed his choice to 4 robots:

C3PO                    R2D2                    Wall-E                    Data

If you'd like to participate too... here's a link below to a similar survey.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/YTFQG5H

Ahh, that new smell of fine Corinthian imitation plastic... Or, "I think I'll go chillax and lounge by the poolside!"

A few weeks back, as a prize for a contest Russ had at work one day, he came home with a "family-size" inflatable pool.  While other families were packing picnic chairs and sunscreen to attend the local community parade so early in the morning, he and Sarah decided to celebrate the 4th in style.  Accompanied with a camping tarp, a conveniently filled and stocked portable cooler, new beach towels, and a freshly mowed yard, there was little else to give into while the temperatures began to climb.

How to barbecue for 5 semi-unexpected guests...

Step 1 - Prepare your grocery shopping list and purchase a grill such as this one...

Step 2 - Ignore advertised packaging specifications and conveniences.  Instead, count how many non-traditional sized burgers and bratwursts fit on afore-purchased grill.

Step 3 - Liberally spray with cooking oil for a rust-resistant coating after assembly.  Add charcoal, lighter fluid, pre-collected pinecones as firestarter.  Light fire, Ugh-ugh!

Step 4 - Rinse down with soda & ice.  Repeat.

Ahhh, good times!

The 20 cent tour in 8 minutes...

Here's the link to the videos...

http://www.adrive.com/public/wraQ5E/casa de minero tours.zip

Whoah! We have a backyard!

As we begin to settle into our new house and unpack all our boxes, two opportunities arrived on our doorstep.  One in the form of a neighborhood youngster volunteering to mow our lawn for $5 each Saturday, and the other in the form of a friendly donation of yard implements and other handy tools.

Thanks to a local friend in Idaho (Marc), we have both a semi-cleared yard and a "new-to-us" mower!  Too late for a garden this season, but -- ahhhh, time for summer landscaping projects!

Want more pics?  go here: http://www.adrive.com/public/NEYsGB/backyard.zip

Magical Castle for Sale [Sale Pending!]

In search of a kindgom...

The queen and king, in recent days, went out (more like she went online) and found a portend for one recently inhabited castle.  The kingdom had been well-taken care of by her previous lieges.  The shingles of the mighty towers were in good condition, the dungeon was mostly well-lit and the dragons could easily be tamed to provide the necessary warmth for all the little peasants.  An appointment with the king's inquisitor led out a prosperous and noteworthy full report of the upkeep of the land and all her denizens.  Upon the receipt of this news, the king and queen have decided to emigrate from their current domain to this vast, new promising land.  Arrangements are still in transit for the papers of treaty to be delivered at the end of the lunar cycle, at which point, the king will oversee this large egression.

Second verse... same as the first!

So, for the second year in a row, I've been denied the opportunity to go to the much-anticipated company retreat.  This time I highly suspect due to "budget cuts" and also due to the recent acquisition/merger.  Originally it was for the top 3% of the company's performers in each venue for sales, retention, and business markets.  Now, suddenly its not even the top 1% that were selected.

All I can say is that I am trying to look at this in a positive perspective, and instead turn my frustration into a constructive energy approach and take every advantage of my job benefits and other opportunities.  I'm no longer going to hold stock in anticipating winning any contests at work, or promises of a different job/responsibility within the company.  If it happens, it happens.  And I'll continue to do the best with what I have at hand and use the tools they give me to work with.

Also, I'm planning to enroll in an online learning course through an accredited school and have my work reimburse me then for the tuition after completion.  It may mean sacrificing some of my fun time during nights and weekends, but in the end we hope its for the best over the long run.