Some of you know that one of my hobbies is flower arranging. I've been into this little hobby since I was a kid and over the last couple years have had many opportunities to practice my skills. Every Monday I arrange flowers for the reception area and the bathroom for my work and every once in a while I get to do flowers for a friend's special event. Some of you have probably seen the photos on my blog under Fleur de Lis (clever name, eh?). I've recently added pictures from the arrangements I got to do for our family Thanksgiving celebration.

(< shameless plug >) I'm hoping to turn my hobby into something a little more serious that might even earn some extra income. So if you need flowers for any occasion feel free to give me a call or send me an email and I'd love to design an arrangement for you. : ) (< /shameless plug >)

Today's post is a tribute to the people who think it's cool to post videos of themselves lip-syncing to a song.

First up the Numa Numa Guy. In his defense, I don't know that he thought it was "cool" to post this video, I think he thought it was "funny" or "entertaining" and I have to agree on both.



This is what happens if you're home-schooled for too long (sorry home school buddies)



These guys are going to be SO embarrassed in about 3 years if they're not already



Wow. Way too much time on their hands. I found 3 videos with these guys doing this. So sad.



YES!!

...or make a bet that depends on the city to finish a project on time. You see, this summer our city began a "beautification project" on the main road that passes by our neighborhood. Among the updates classified as "beautification" are:

1. Narrow the road from 4 lanes to 2 then back to 4 then back to 2 so that it's as confusing as possible
2. New light posts
3. New benches and planters
4. Rip out the old mature trees, leave the street treeless for about 4 months and then add new young trees and plants,
5. A new "decorative arch" that spans Maclay Street at the city limit.

This arch has been the subject of much entertainment in our house. It started out as 2 matching metal frames and eventually turned into 2 matching mission style towers. Then the work stopped for a while. We assumed they needed to let the stucco set. Finally they added a rather industrial bridge-looking metal arch over the street. It sat like this for quite a while and J and I began discussing whether or not the arch was finished. J believed it was since it seemed all the elements were there, though somewhat shabby. I believed it wasn't because I hoped that they wouldn't leave it so shabby. Obviously the only way to handle the situation was to make a bet with the following terms: the city would do more work before Thanksgiving indicating that the arch was not complete and the loser will buy the winner a delicious treat from Cold Stone Creamery.

Thanksgiving loomed closer without any work done and I saw my yummy treat moving farther from my grasp. Finally Thanksgiving came and I had to face the fact that I lost the bet. Then wouldn't you guess this last Monday, the first normal weekday after Thanksgiving, the crew was out there again working on the arch! They gave it a nice new colorful coat of paint and added finishing touches.

It just goes to show you, never bank a Cold Stone treat on the project schedule of a city!

That took WAY too much planning and effort.



This may look like a little kid drew it, but I'm guessing it's from an adult with poor mouse skills. Honestly, I'm not sure I could do much better.



Ah yes...the "I am thankful for cornucopia." Classic.



AHHHHH!.....AHHHHH!!!



This was on "Thanksgiving Crafts for Teens." REALLY?




Something is seriously wrong with this turkey



That's a pilgrim hat mug. Makes my lip feel funny. Also the neon marshmallows make my stomach hurt. Were those made at the local nuclear plant?




And I quote, "For today's cool craft..."




Is that cheese in there? A cheese scented candle?



This one is my favorite.



That's so morbid.

(That title is for GUS)

I LOVE this time of year. There's nothing like the Thanksgiving / Christmas season for so many reasons - reflecting on our Great Savior, time with family, foggy mornings, cool days (I wish that included snow too), shopping for the perfect gifts, Christmas music, Christmas movies (especially White Christmas), roasted turkey, pumpkin pie (Culinary Kyle's special recipe), apple cider, and Starbucks Holiday Drinks

Here are the holiday drinks in order of most favorite to delicious

1. Eggnog Latte - Eggnoggy Goodness!
2. Shortbread Latte - Like a waffle in a cup! (this is a new drink being tested only in the area between Sun Valley and Santa Clarita)
3. Peppermint Mocha - Chocolaty...Minty....creamy...DUlicious!!
4. Gingerbread Latte - Makes me want to go home and bake!

I've loved the Eggnog Latte since the first time I tasted it because, well, I've always loved eggnog. It was our family tradition to drink the first eggnog of the season after we finished decorating the Christmas Tree. if I remember right, Mom and Beth had milk or hot cocoa instead because they said eggnog was too snotty. Sorry if that ruins this holiday delight for any of you.

The Shortbread Latte is a new discovery and is possibly usurping the #1 position of the Eggnog Latte. I've never been a big fan of shortbread itself, but the latte is deliciously mild and not too sweet and tastes like waffles. I love waffles. (If you are in the test area, you must try this treat and then let me know what you think of it)

The Peppermint Mocha is a new favorite this year. I'm not usually a big fan of mocha or peppermint, but the combination is particularly delightful this morning. My wonderful husband brought one to me after he had dropped me off at work and it has finally made my list.

The Gingerbread Latte is wonderful for the right setting. It tends to be on the spicier and richer side and I think would be perfect in a short instead of a tall.

Did you know that READING RAINBOW is still on TV??!?!!! Now that I know, it's going on my TIVO season pass list. Oh. Yeah.



Thanks Rhett & LInk for bringing back such warm childhood memories.




By the way, was anybody else confused about how Geordi La Forge suddenly didn't need his banana clip visor? That rocked my world. Just in case you don't remember the classic character Geordi, according to startrek.com, he was the Chief Engineer on the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-E. He was born on February 16, 2335 in The African Confederation, Earth. According to Counselor Deanna Troi's Biolographical file on Geordi:

The outstanding characteristic La Forge shows is his longtime adaptability to and satisfaction with life, symbolized by the fact that his birth-blindness until recently was overcome not by direct surgery but by the unique VISOR instrument — which, though painful allowed him to "see" throughout the electromagnetic spectrum, from heat and infrared through visible light to radio waves. It attached at the temples via implants which connected directly to the brain and provided such a complex and broad-based input that the user had to concentrate to focus on one area. It was perhaps this intense focusing ability that has enabled him to master the complexities of warp engineering and other starship systems.

Fascinating, truly fascinating. Good ol' Geordi.

Our friend Gus recently posted this and I thought it'd be fun to see how prevalent this actually is online. Here are just 7 of about 1,650,000.

group hug - "the idea is for anyone to anonymously confess to anything. it actually feels kind of good to know that someone will read it."

Confessions of a Pioneer Woman - "I’m a thirty-something ranch wife, mother of four, and moderately-agoraphobic middle child who grew up on a golf course in the city."

Confessions of a Mathematician

Confessions of a Turtle Wife - "A website for turtle wives and their significant others"

Confessions of a Post-It Junkie

Confessions of a Chess Novice

and finally

Confessions of a Blogger - "Confessions of a blogger is a blog novel (blovel or blogel) of my adventures. I'm des perrat, blogger and blogelist."

One thing that I think is endearing about Fritz is a little morning habit he has. If ever John has to be up and about before me (which is pretty often these days) Fritz will get up with him, take his morning "relief" outside and get up to speed on what's happening in the house. If there is no walk in order or breakfast being cooked, he will inevitably go back to bed and sleep until I get up.

If John has to leave for an early Tuesday morning meeting, Fritz will come into the bedroom and instead of lying on his nice fluffy dog bed on the floor, will jump up and lay in John's spot next to me. Alright, I know some of you are gagging right now, but I think it's sweet that he assumes the role of "man of the house" and puts himself between me and any danger that could come through the door.  Alright, I realize that most likely he was just waiting for John to get out of the way so he could spraul out on the much more comfortable people bed.

There have been a few times when he's done this and I slept through the whole thing so that I went to sleep with my husband's lovely face there and I woke up to my dogs big, stinky-breath face. It's actually quite shocking.

 I think it's especially funny when he lays his head on John's pillow as though he were a people. This is kinda cute unless he decides he'd rather lay the other direction, then it's just gross and makes for extra laundry**. More than once I've been woken by the worst boxer trait known to man - military grade gas.

**(Alright, for those of you who are in shock about a dog's head being on my husband's pillow, no matter which end is on the pillow it goes in the laundry. That's why if I'm awake while this is happening I grab the pillow out of the way.)

Ghost Riding


Water Dispensing Tab

Have you ever noticed that Pigs and Monkeys are some of the most unfortunate looking creatures? It's pretty unusual to find a Wilbur or a George. Most of them look more like this:


This is where the phrase "fat and happy" comes from.



I bet the flies love this one.



I'm pretty sure he was a character in Lord of the Rings. He also played one of the R.O.U.S.'s in Princess Bride.


1. Does he have eyes?
2. Does he have legs?
3. Does he have a hair dresser?



This one just makes me sad. She looks so uncomfortable. Probably has sinus problems.



Watch out, he bites.




Aw, he looks friendly.



Wow. Just wow.



Love the beard and floppy belly.




I know she's not a pig or a monkey....but dang, she's ugly. And also, her name is muffin.

Speedy Gonzales, a.k.a. my Husband, got our new site up and running!

Check it out!

www.johnandlis.com


(It may be a little sketchy getting to the new site as the servers switch over)

Psalm 62:8

Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.

Hey Friends and Family -

We're switching web/email hosting which means that for the next 2 days or so, our johnandlis email will be unreliable. If you need to get through to me, you have my number or my other email addresses...which are all working fine. : )

In other news, we're working on a new johnandlis.com site. Stay tuned over the next couple weeks!

My Grandpa, Henry Belmont Williams served our country faithfully for over 20 years. He was in the Navy, stationed on Guam when the Japanese invaded and he was taken captive. He remained a prisoner of war for 3 1/2 years before he was released and brought back to the States. He stayed in the Navy for the rest of his career. My Grandpa went home to be with the Lord in March, 2002. He was given military honors at his graveside service.

My Grandpa, Richard F. Wist served our country in the Navy during World War II as a Gunner's Mate. He was so eager to fight for our country that he lied about his age and joined the Navy when he was only 17. My Grandpa passed from this life in May, 2007. He was given military honors at his graveside service.

I am so proud of my Grandpas! They were men who sacrificed so that our freedom would be secure. They were men who put their lives on the line so that we wouldn't have to. They were patriots who fought honorably for their country.

Grandma - Thank you for faithfully serving your husband during those many years and enabling his service to our country. You are a godly example of a wife, mother and grandmother and I am so grateful for your impact on my life.

This snack has been so popular I thought it deserved a spot on the blog. I remember my mom making this snack on many an occasion and it was always DU-licious!

Caramel Corn

3 bags microwave popcorn (or equivalent of stove-top)
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine
1/4 cup light corn syrup (or whichever corn syrup you have)
1/2 tsp baking soda

Put the popped popcorn into a large brown grocery bag. Combine brown sugar, margarine and corn syrup in a sauce pan*. Bring to boil over medium-high heat and let boil for 2 minutes. Add baking soda (mixture will turn frothy and bubbly). Pour this over the popcorn in the bag and shake well. Put the bag into the microwave for 45 seconds. Shake well again. Microwave again for 30 seconds. Shake well and pour out onto a cookie sheet to cool for a few minutes. Once cool to the touch break up with your hands and put it in a large bowl. ENJOY!!

(*you can also make the caramel in the microwave if you prefer)

Thanks Beth!

Thanks for the great shots!

www.lukasvandyke.com/blog/

Notice the one of Fritz running....collarless.

Check it out!

www.resolved.org

New 2008 Promo Video Coming Soon!

You know how Fritz loves to get loose and run free? Well last weekend we decided to get photos taken and we thought it was a good idea to bring Fritz along. That was our first mistake. Our friend Lukas, photographer extraordinaire, agreed to do a session with us and we started in Hart Park in Newhall. J and I were both wearing Jeans and a black top so I thought it was a good idea to put Fritz in his black collar and leash. That was the second mistake. The black collar is just a bit too big for Fritz and I'm pretty sure Fritz knows it. We walked to the park and were deciding where to start with the pics while Fritz, rather excited, was pulling on the leash. I looked down at Fritz and with a low, slow-motion voice, yelled out "Waaaatcccchhh ooooouuttt, heeeee'ssss ppppuuuulllllliiiinnnnngggg...." and like that he slipped out of the nice black collar and had already made a lap around the park.

I happened to have been wearing shoes with little heels that kept getting stuck in the grass, so I tossed them off and began working on a scheme to catch the little monster. There also just happened to be a couple of police men in the park who yelled over to me "HEY LADY! That dog has to be on a leash!!" I held up the empty collar with the leash still attached and yelled back "YEAH." Fortunately, Fritz did not follow his usual routine of searching for the nearest exit to the busy street or running to the nearest stranger who happens to be petrified of dogs. Instead he ran about 10 laps around us stopping only briefly when a smell would catch his nose, but not long enough for us to catch him. Then he decided it would be fun to run up the road that goes uphill behind the park where there just happened to be a cranky man with a little cranky dog. J was up the hill before me and my bare feet, and got within 20 feet of the cranky man who yelled back at him "HEY, get your dog on a leash, mutter, mutter, mutter." J said, "Yeah, sorry, we're trying to. He got loose." The man, getting crankier, yells back "I saw you take him off his leash!" By this time I had caught up and simply held up the empty collar, leash still attached, and repeated, "He got loose."

At this point, probably with the help of an angel, Fritz got tired and slow and we were able to get ahold of him. Since we didn't want to go through that again, we fashioned a noose, I mean collar, out of his leash and made sure it was mighty snug. Meanwhile, our photographer friend was snapping pictures of the whole ordeal. I haven't seen any pics yet, but I'm guessing they're pretty funny. The rest of the session was smooth and uneventful, but I have no idea how my hair looked after that.

...how odd criminal nicknames can be? I mean the names that are given to criminals before they had been identified. I'd like to know who comes up with these names and why. Some of them, of course, are down right chilling, while some are much more comedic than threatening. For example:

"Abbadabba" — Otto Berman, U.S. Mafia accountant

"The Alphabet Killer" — Unidentified American serial killer

"Apples" — Hugh MacIntosh, U.S. gangster

"Big Eared Du" or "Big Ears Du" — Du Yuesheng, Chinese gang leader

"Big Greenie" — Harry Greenberg, U.S. gangster

"The Boozing Barber" — Gilbert Paul Jordan, Canadian serial killer

"Fifi" — Fiore Buccieri, U.S. Mafia hitman

"The Hippopotamus" - Sergei Ryakhovsky, Russian serial killer

"Johnness" — Dominique You, Haitian pirate

"Stupid Marty" — Martin Bryant, Australian spree killer

"The Kissing Bandit" — Edna Murray (d.1966), U.S. outlaw

"The Queen of Mean" — Leona Helmsley (1920-2007), U.S. tax evader

Ah 80s hair....gotta love those bangs.


Do you remember when Beauty and The Beast
was a TV show? Was she the beast?



This is a classic white-trash mix of 70s and 80s styles.
Feathered and Center-Parted. Nice.


Her bangs are actually the same height as her face.
I wonder if she had to stoop to get through doorways.



The hairspray industry owes this lady half of their 80s profits.



The poodle hair is pretty bad in this one, but what I
really want you to notice is the shorts. Whoever thought
it was flattering to wear shorts at the waist COULD NOT
have owned a mirror. These girls may have had nice figures,
but we'll never know thanks to those high set, loose fitting,
wide legged, elastic waisted shorts.
And also, HALLELUJAH shoulder pads are out!!


Fortunately for you, none of my 80s pictures are digital. I too had big waterfall bangs and even bigger glasses.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart and lean not on your own understanding.In ALL your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your path.

J found a great quote from John Calvin in book four of The Institutes. We were especially encouraged as it relates to church music.

"[The Master] did not will in outward discipline and ceremonies to prescribe in detail what we ought to do (because he foresaw that this depended upon the state of the times, and he did not deem one form suitable for all ages), here we must take refuge in those general rules which he has given, that whatever the necessity of the church will require for order and decorum should be tested against these. Lastly, because he has taught nothing specifically, and because these things are not necessary to salvation, and for the upbuilding of the church ought to be variously accommodated to the customs of each nation and age, it will be fitting (as the advantage of the church will require) to change and abrogate traditional practices and to establish new ones. Indeed, I admit that we ought not to charge into innovation rashly, suddenly, for insufficient cause. But love will best judge what may hurt or edify; and if we let love be our guide, all will be safe."

When we first decided to get a dog we knew that we wanted a Boxer. Why? Because they are great. That's why. Here was the list -

1. They are really smart and challenging and take alot of work.
2. They are really good family dogs, full of personality and tend to be really sweet.
3. They look scary and mean, which makes them effective guard dogs, but they're actually quite friendly.

Fritz has met and exceeded all of these expectations.

1. He is definitely smart - too smart - so that he gets bored and destroys things. As it turns out, not using capital punishment is what has taken the most work.

2. He LOVES kids. So much so that he tends to pounce on them and knock them over, not injuring them but definitely giving them a dog complex. He is FULL of personality. He's the only dog I've had that will look you right in the eye and listen to what you're saying as if he understands. We've had full conversations. He is really sweet and actually believes he's a lapdog. One time when I was lying face down on the couch watching TV, Fritz jumped up and laid on my back, dog-pile fashion.

3. He does look scary to some people but is really quite friendly. More than once, we've been on a walk through our neighborhood and a person we don't recognize yells out "Hi Fritz!"
I used to be convinced that if a burglar ever tried to break in to our house, Fritz would give him the grand tour, pointing out our most valuable items, "Here's the studio and over there is my people's most expensive gear. Oh, and don't forget the TV in the bedroom." On 2 separate occasions he failed the guard dog test...miserably. J came up to the gate disguised and acting suspicious. Most dogs would go into attack mode and sound the intruder alarm. Fritz did NOT bark at him or try to defend our home, nor did he welcome him and show him where to break in, but rather he ran. He ran all the way to the very back corner of the yard as far from the "intruder" as possible and was about to jump the fence into the neighbor's yard when J took off the disguise and Fritz realized who it was. That was a sad and disappointing day.

I guess I need to give him a little credit though, since on Halloween this year he barked at every masked kid who came up to our door, which is really something since he really does not bark very often. Maybe he's finally growing a spine. After all, he's not a puppy anymore.

My brother-in-law, the Airforce dentist, is also an artist on the side. He makes beautiful paintings, drawings and sketches and as you can see below...wicked awesome pumpkin sculptures.

Matt's Pumpkin Creation 2007

"MATT'S MOLAR"


Matt's Pumpkin Creations Past

"AWESOME PUMPKIN"



"MINI PUMPKIN WINKING"



"THE JOYFUL BUCKTOOTHED ESKIMO"



"THE SKULL"



Creating "THE SKULL"