tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102261862024-03-13T12:23:42.461-07:00stuff jen saysJenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10472829208389593250noreply@blogger.comBlogger2107125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10226186.post-50852644364541435832015-09-23T12:16:00.000-07:002015-09-23T12:17:10.419-07:00Sep. 23: Buh-bye, blog.
I haven’t posted since March, and for good reason: I’ve got
nothing to say.
Yes, I realize that’s never stopped me before, or at least
not often. Once upon a time I posted several times a day, and probably 95
percent of those posts were total wastes of bandwidth. Possibly 97.
What happened?
In 2010, my dear friend Loveliest Lori had a health emergency
of which I opted not to share Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991590758643730564noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10226186.post-38554276790733720372015-03-30T15:45:00.001-07:002015-03-30T15:45:44.578-07:00Mar. 30: Spring break adventuresWe went to Seattle for part of spring vacation this year. We go up there several times a year, actually, and Victor lived up there forEVER, but it had been a long time since we’d played for-realsies tourists. It was a quick, jam-packed trip. Here are the deets. (Most of the images are clickable.) Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale… After leaving Portland, our first stop was the Nike Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991590758643730564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10226186.post-68372698475812311172015-03-20T16:20:00.001-07:002015-03-20T16:20:53.305-07:00Mar. 20: Please learn my kids stuffI know I speak for many parents when I say how frustrating it is to tell your kids the same things, over and over, and they STILL don’t get it. There are the standards, like: Wash your hands Wipe your feet Clean your room Turn lights off when you leave a room Do your homework before you go out and play Don’t fart in the car My children fail at these standards 70 percent of the time, or it Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991590758643730564noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10226186.post-32157478886409630872015-02-23T14:08:00.001-08:002015-02-23T14:09:48.167-08:00Feb. 23: Logic? What’s that?Do you ever find yourself getting angry at really, really stupid things? Yeah, me neither. But if I wasn’t so calm and even-keeled all the time (cough!) and DID let myself get mad at anything, it wouldn’t be jerk-ass politicians or anti-vaxxers, it’d probably just be stuff like this: Side-by-side cabinet doors that don’t align properly. I think it’s due to house-settling, but it’s also possible Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991590758643730564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10226186.post-11686108697735525632015-01-30T15:35:00.001-08:002015-01-30T15:49:54.528-08:00Jan. 30: Chuckle rerunI promise I’m not going to start re-running all my old posts, but this popped up in Timehop this morning and I just had to share it. Again. Here are funny tweets from five-ish years ago. They made me LOL this morning. MikeyADHD MOMMY DOESN'T LET ME KEEP TWO OF THE SAME HAPPY MEAL TOYS CAUSE SHE KNOWS I WILL SET ONE OF THEM ON FIRE. fireland You ever get drunk and buy something online but Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991590758643730564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10226186.post-51167198175071805172015-01-26T13:00:00.001-08:002015-01-26T13:00:26.378-08:00Jan. 26: Choosing joy (between clenched teeth)My self-improvement effort this year is to choose joy; when faced with a situation that has the potential to super-duper piss me off, I want to try NOT to be pissed off. I don’t know if that’s how everyone else defines the “choosing joy” thing, but that’s how I’m doing it, because it has the greatest potential to being life-changing for me. I realize this is a very lofty goal. ;) When crossed, myJenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991590758643730564noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10226186.post-13431897858965559632015-01-25T11:46:00.001-08:002015-01-25T11:46:11.339-08:00Jan. 25: Funny pitchersHere are a bunch of images I’ve been collecting to share witcha. Otherwise, I got nothin’. When my life is chaotic but utterly uninteresting to outsiders, I like to pretend I came up with all that stuff on my own. It’s way less pathetic than reality. Have a great week, friends! Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991590758643730564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10226186.post-47259083473788910472015-01-17T09:56:00.001-08:002015-01-17T09:56:28.317-08:00Jan. 17: Do what you loveMy goal was to blog every day this month, or at least make an effort. It appears that I’ve failed miserably, as it’s been nearly a week since my last post. But I just wasn’t feelin’ it, y’know? Like, I have a list of blog topics for the month, but none of them were screaming “write!” so I didn’t. You’re welcome. Today, though, I’m feelin’ it. Today I’m feeling feelings about work-related feelingsJenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991590758643730564noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10226186.post-18018443091092604292015-01-12T11:22:00.001-08:002015-01-12T11:22:19.357-08:00Jan. 12: Artists and inspiration When I signed up at Instagram, I found and followed some of my favorite artists. It wasn’t an intentional effort to make Instagram my go-to place for happiness and cheer on social media, but that’s exactly what has happened. I not only enjoy seeing previews of unreleased projects and glimpses into their personal lives (OMG, Curly Girl’s twins!!), but they’re also a pretty reliable source of Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991590758643730564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10226186.post-14393330746423721502015-01-09T12:59:00.001-08:002015-01-09T17:06:28.051-08:00Jan. 9: Choosing joyAbout a month ago, I started doing a bit of celebrating in my head, because it’s been five years since I was diagnosed with lymphoma, and four since I was told it was in remission. From the beginning of the fight in November ‘09, I talked about having a big party once we’d kicked cancer’s big, fat, ugly, hairy ass. That party never happened, for lots of reasons; mostly, though, I didn’t feel Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991590758643730564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10226186.post-22264882770051707602015-01-08T12:53:00.001-08:002015-01-08T12:53:29.779-08:00Jan. 8: I’ve been everywhere, man. Have you gotten hooked on Trivia Crack yet? All the cool kids are playing. What I like most about the game is that Katie and Jack think I’m brilliant because I know so many of the answers. They don’t understand yet that it’s called “trivia” because it’s “trivial.” My brain is so crammed full of useless information that I forget important things like how fractions work and my own middle name. Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991590758643730564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10226186.post-18172486304922074992015-01-07T14:17:00.001-08:002015-01-07T14:17:12.540-08:00Jan. 7: ♫♬ Every step you take ♪♫♪ Like just about everyone else in the world, it seems, we got fitness trackers for Christmas. Steps, exercise, calories burned, sleep quality—all the device’s collected info is really fascinating to follow. On days when I haven’t met my total steps goal by evening, I’ve taken to walking laps inside the house, which confounds and excites Lucy, and which I’ve decided is just like taking her for a Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991590758643730564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10226186.post-701391576641744822015-01-05T15:38:00.001-08:002015-01-05T15:38:39.566-08:00Jan. 5: Sharin’ some Etsy love For some reason, a bunch of the ads shown to me on Facebook and Google lately have been for items with “I love you, a bushel and a peck” printed on them. It’s been ages since I’ve actually searched for anything like that, so why the ads are showing up now is mysterious. Maybe old cookies somehow surfaced? Is that a thing? But YES, I’ve searched for the phrase before. It’s a song that both my momJenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991590758643730564noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10226186.post-7465272597314867412015-01-04T17:26:00.001-08:002015-01-04T17:26:28.412-08:00Jan. 4: I guess I’m one of the “kids these days” Tonight is the U.S. premiere of Downton Abbey’s fifth season. I be soooo excited. Even Victor is looking forward to it, but don’t tell him I told you. I generally enjoy historical fiction in movies/books/television, but when I hear people say, “Oh, how I wish I lived in that era,” I think they’re full of it. I mean, COME ON. You really want to give up all the conveniences of the 21st century Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991590758643730564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10226186.post-43580955734508370132015-01-03T08:40:00.000-08:002015-01-03T15:57:18.642-08:00Jan. 3: Where I see happinessI wrote the other day about how eager I was to un-decorate the second Christmas was over, but there’s one thing I leave up as long as I possibly can: Christmas cards. Update, 4pm… Four new photo cards arrived in today’s mail! Here’s the new pic.I will not do this every day.I promise. The photo cards get taped up on the inside of our front door as soon as they arrive. I walk past them many Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991590758643730564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10226186.post-40252374823953374832015-01-02T10:02:00.001-08:002015-01-02T10:06:38.174-08:00Jan. 2: Tevye said (sang) (hollered?) it best Over the past 15 years as a family of 3-4, we’ve created some traditions to help make our Christmas season special and memorable—that’s what traditions are for, right? The kids know they always get new PJs on Christmas Eve, which they open after we’ve finished our Chinese food dinner. Sometimes they get to open another gift, but we choose the gift because I am Controlling And Overbearing Mrs. Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991590758643730564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10226186.post-41261650202872241082015-01-01T09:01:00.000-08:002015-01-02T13:16:22.355-08:00Jan. 1: I’m busy todayToday I plan to alternate between two activities: reading and beading, even though I hate rhymes. Victor’s at work (booooo), the kids are still in bed and probably will be for a while, and five minutes ago I decided I’m going to do whatever I want today. I guarantee that a half second after posting this, something will happen that changes my plans. OF COURSE. Reading I got this book for ChristmasJenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991590758643730564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10226186.post-61577786392194687002014-12-31T13:31:00.001-08:002015-01-02T10:44:03.835-08:00Dec. 31: Month in review Buh-bye, December. special days i celebrated this month and how: Well, duh. Christmas. It was pretty great. For our celebration with the Nienhuises, Sonya did a Grinch feast—roast beast, Who hash, Who buns, Grinch bean casserole, Grinch salad with artichoke hearts (two sizes too small), and Who pudding… our contribution was the Grinch cocktails, which were green and contained booze and that Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991590758643730564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10226186.post-27568321883955036592014-12-29T14:26:00.001-08:002014-12-29T14:28:55.216-08:00Dec. 29: All about ChristmasI’d like to start this post by sending out birthday wishes to people I failed to say “happy birthday” to on Facebook over the past few days because I’m a big loser-y friend. Also, these people deserve extra recognition because they have some of the suckiest birthdays in all of the possible birthdays: Jen E Stephanie my brother-in-law, Chris Lisa H-S Fancy Lori™ Here’s your cake. Sorry, Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991590758643730564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10226186.post-25930841429836485192014-11-30T11:21:00.001-08:002015-01-02T13:15:07.190-08:00Nov. 30: November in review Well, I really went crazy posting in November, huh? I have a good excuse for a quiet blog. Kinda. special days i celebrated this month and how: Thanksgiving! It’s my favorite holiday; this year I had a minimum of foodstuffs to prepare, AND got to hang out with some of my favorite peeps. Lucky me! I hope you found plenty of reasons to be thankful too. Cousins: Presley, Jacob, Jack, Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991590758643730564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10226186.post-66008292604694991832014-10-31T14:49:00.001-07:002014-10-31T14:49:12.704-07:00Oct. 31: Month in reviewLater today, October will end. Here’s how I spent this month. special days i celebrated this month and how: Today is Halloween, and in our house, this year marks a bit of a change: Katie is going to the varsity football game instead of trick-or-treating. Is it possible that 2013 was her last year of traditional Halloween activities? It bums me out a little, but not a lot. My favorite part of Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991590758643730564noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10226186.post-32513903409023388322014-10-14T12:56:00.001-07:002014-10-14T12:56:03.322-07:00Oct. 14: Voters’ Pamphlet thoughts The voters’ pamphlet has arrived! I’ll admit, there are a lot of years that I toss it into the recycle bin without a second look. While I know that votes matter, even in the minor elections, and Oregon’s mail-in ballots could not make it any easier or more convenient, I tend to be one who saves my votes for the biggies. I know this is stupid and senseless. This year we’re voting on Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991590758643730564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10226186.post-17974484957501878852014-10-05T08:58:00.000-07:002014-10-05T08:58:00.286-07:00Oct. 5: Funny tweets Browsing around previous posts to my blog, I ran into this one from 2010. I can’t resist re-running these tweets because they made me LOL several times and I bet they’ll make you LOL too. wordlust: It is terrible to take away hope; it is worse to take away chocolate fudge brownie cookie cake. wordlust: “Hulk smash!” has a better ring to it than “Hulk pee bed!” thedayhascome: The worst part Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991590758643730564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10226186.post-38867115242851607922014-10-03T10:33:00.001-07:002014-10-03T10:34:02.669-07:00Oct. 3: This old house Don’t get me wrong; I’m grateful that we have a roof over our heads. But sometimes I really, really, really hate our house. As I was getting up this morning, Victor came in to kiss me goodbye. Ten minutes later, I heard him yell this exasperated FYI from downstairs: I’M STILL HERE. I looked over the rail and saw him with a pile of tools at the front door, disassembling our doorknob. I didn’t Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991590758643730564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10226186.post-41391243542939396132014-09-30T14:08:00.001-07:002014-09-30T14:09:59.125-07:00Sept. 30: Month in reviewTis the last day of September. That fact does not suck. special days i celebrated this month and how: Goodness, and also gracious. There were lots of good days worth celebrating this month. It made me ever-so-happy to write “Ladies Liquor Luncheon” on my calendar for Sept. 2. Theresa hosted a first day of school party; after we all shoved our kids out the door, we crazy-relieved moms gathered Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991590758643730564noreply@blogger.com0