how many chickens does it take to change a lightbulb?

apparently just one...

what i like about driving for a living...

(click on pictures to enlarge)

smile :)

i went to the dentist today, having not been in about 4 years, expecting that they'd find a whole slew of issues to contend with. i'm proud, and slightly mystified, to report that they didn't find a single cavity or any other dental problem. they made me a 6 month follow up appointment and said to keep doing whatever i'm doing.

i'd like to thank the good makers of Listerine. they should build monuments to that product...

busted...

today parley and i went on a 12 mile bike ride (a much shorter distance than it sounds...a mere warm-up for serious bikers), during which i managed to somehow break both of my derailleurs. we suspect that a caught pant leg was the culprit. parley was able to salvage the rear derailleur, but the front was bent in too far. that was lucky, since i dont depend on my front near as much as i do the rear. never the less, i'll still need to get it replaced to have a truly functioning bike.

the short ride proved how out of shape i am, and our goal of being ready to bike the katy trail by the end of april may be too soon...

spring

i'm glad that i didn't kill the herb garden...

the new puppy

many of you have heard about dozer, paul's new puppy (although i do catch myself saying 'our' puppy a lot...). he's about 10 weeks old now, and cute as a button. so far our biggest challenges have been in house training, but i think our goals for the first week of ownership were a bit lofty. we're trying to be a bit more relaxed about accidents, and have made trips outside more frequent (which the warm weather has helped with). here are some pictures to back up that 'cute as a button' statement:




paul could not be happier with this dog, and dozer has certainly changed my perspective. being an avid cat person, it's hard to admit that there is grass on the other side of the fence, much less that it's green...

adventures in soapmaking

in an attempt to blog more, i've been looking through my pictures for ideas...

these are the soaps that i ended up giving to some of my coworkers for christmas this last year.

i was really pleased with the results, as this was the first time i'd tried to do something like this. the mint soaps had a great scent, and the spearmint tea that i added in gave the soap a nice exfoliating texture. the grapefruit soaps were equally nice, and i thought the two-toned look worked out well. end result: a gift that looks like it took way more time and energy that it actually did. my coworkers were very impressed.

i kind of feel like i cheated, buying pre-made glycerin. i would've liked to have made it all from scratch, but the soap making process is rather lengthy and i didn't have 2 months for the bars to cure. it's definitely something i'd like to try in the future, though.

i'm fascinated by all of the etsy shops that sell soap. so many possibilities....