Mice in the Attic

 You can't see them too well, but in the picture below are 2 dead mice!  One is black above the center and the other is in the middle on top of the green logo.  Anyway, they are dead and that's the way we like mice.

We were sitting in the living room around Christmas when we heard a scratching sound from by the coffer.  It was in the attic and it sounded like something was scratching around like it was digging in the insulation.  We listened to it and then it went away.  The next day, we heard scratching in the ceiling in our kitchen above the oven.  We concluded that we had some friends in our attic who needed to be gone.

I went to Lowe's and bought some mouse traps along with some bait that they guaranteed would be irresistible to mice.  Bryan grabbed the ladder, climbed in the attic, and set 8 traps to see what we could catch.  The next day he climbed back up in the attic and found that we had caught/killed 2 mice.  The other traps were untouched.

We did discover something fascinating/gross about mice.  The first trap Bryan found didn't have any of the bait left in it but it had a dead mouse.  The second trap had all the bait and a dead mouse.  The conclusion we drew was that the first mouse was caught and killed so the second mouse ate the rest of the bait and then went in search of more food and got himself caught.  

So the saying is true:  The second mouse gets the cheese!

But the second mouse shouldn't have gotten greedy and he would have been alive longer.

Anyway, we have checked the traps a few times since then and there aren't any more mice so we think there were only 2 and we got them.  Bryan also set traps in the basement but we hadn't gotten anything in those.  We are hoping our house is mouse-free now!

Christmas

Courtney mentioned that this year didn't feel like Christmas.  I think part of it is because Ethan isn't here.  But she mentioned that she would really like a white Christmas.  We had thought about going someplace for Christmas, to get a change of scenery, but we didn't want to mess with Covid stuff so we decided to stay home.  But Bryan and I wanted to do something special for Courtney and make it fun.

We came up with the idea of making it snow in our house (not real snow, but fake stuff).  I did some research and we decided to make snow that hung from our ceiling. We spent a couple of days making the strings of snow.  We used a piece of 12-foot fishing line.  We threaded white pompoms and cotton balls on clear thread which we then tied to the fishing line.  I had gone to the library and used their die cut machine to cut out snowflakes.  We attached those, using tape, to the clear thread but then Bryan realized it was tangling the lines up so we decided to put those on after the fishing line was strung on the ceiling.

We set an alarm and woke up at midnight to put everything together.  We strung some Christmas icicle lights from the coffer in our living room (thanks to the new outlet up there) so they would dangle over the lip into the room.  Then we strung the fishing line across the ceiling.

I also bought bags of pillow filling and we put that around like it was snow. I think it turned out really fun.

Christmas morning Courtney was up at 6 am to go out and look at what Santa had brought her.  I was so excited to see her face and hear her delight at seeing the snow coming down from the ceiling.  This is what we got...

So disappointing.  She was too short to notice that things were hanging over her head and she was so focused on what was on the couch that she didn't look up.  Oh well, when she did see it she was impressed.

Christmas morning went well.  Courtney got a Minky Couture blanket from Santa. She was really excited about that one.  She got a shower curtain, towels, candy, books, and some other things.  It was a fun morning.

Ethan had made us some glass fingertip bowls with an inactive member in his area.  The member shipped them to us and we got to open them.  I was really impressed by them.

At 7 am Ethan called.  We got to talk to him and then he opened his Christmas presents with us on the video call with him.  He said it was weird to be the only one opening gifts but it was fun to watch.  He was spoiled by members in his ward and by people from our ward and family.  I was grateful that people thought of him and tried to help make his day special.

After talking to him for a while we let him to go open gifts with his companion and go to an activity with his Zone.

It was a different type of Christmas, but it was a good one.

Christmas Eve pjs

Our Christmas Eve traditions are usually about the same every year.  We spend the day relaxing, we get Pizza Hut for dinner, we read stories, we play the chimes (which we skipped this year because we weren't sure how well it would go with only 3 of us), we open Christmas pjs, we read the Christmas story, and then we go to bed.

It was the same this year.  Courtney was excited to open her pjs although she knew what they looked like.  I have long abandoned buying her clothes without her picking them out.  I learned that they would go to waste.  So I let her pick them out.  This year she got pjs that coordinated with the ones she picked out for Ethan.  That was fun!

Gingerbread Houses part 2

I found a recipe online for "construction grade gingerbread houses."  Apparently, the gingerbread that you make to eat isn't strong enough to construct a good house.  So they have some that is construction grade which you can sand down so it has smooth surfaces.  Crazy stuff.

Anyway, I got the recipe and make a couple of houses.  I cut the pieces out, cooked them, and let them dry for a couple of days.  Then I made royal icing (really thick royal icing) and put the houses together.  The key, I read on one website, was to have the icing be between both walls.  In other words, don't put the icing on the piece and then push the two pieces flush together.  Make sure that there is icing between the pieces.  Then you let them sit for a couple of days to harden.

It actually worked out great.  They were solid.  I did have a bit of a gap in the roof of one of the houses.  But this is only our first year really doing gingerbread houses seriously so we will get more practice next year.

We bought candy and then went to town.

Courtney's house looks like it has lips on the front.

The big candies cover up the big gap in the roof where the two pieces don't quite meet right,

I did part of Bryan's house.  I thinned my royal icing down so it was easier to pipe.

They turned out good for the first try.  Next year will be better.  But it actually was a lot of fun to do because the houses held up, which is a first for us!

Coffer Lights

We had a light switch in the living room that didn't do anything. Or at least it appeared that it didn't go anywhere.  It actually went to a wire that was in the coffer that needed to be connected into a plug in.  I have wanted to do it for a while but we haven't taken the time.  Finally, I decided that I would do it but Bryan was nervous so I bought the stuff and Bryan did the wiring.

After he got it all wired, we plugged in some rope lights and he secured them so they wouldn't fall down on us.  Now the light switch works and turns on the "movie lights."  It's fun to watch movies with just those lights on.

Landscapes

Here are a couple of pictures of landscapes.  The first was taken by a friend.  It's pointing West from the Red Mountain.

This picture was taken by Ethan and is of Wellington.

Gingerbread Houses

We usually decorate gingerbread houses during December.  I bought a kit that was supposed to be "amazing" because it was like puzzle pieces.  But it didn't work very well.  The sides didn't fit together correctly and the frosting wasn't like cement.  So it was frustrating.  We ended up throwing it away before we could decorate it because we couldn't get the walls put together.  

I am doing research on how to make our own gingerbread houses from scratch. Then we will try it again. 

Cute kids

This is a pic of our cute kids while they are talking to each other.  Ethan gets to call each Tuesday (pday) and Saturday.  Courtney likes to take a screen shot when Ethan is on the phone so she can have pictures of him.  It's cute.

You can tell which day he is talking to us on because on Tuesday he calls at 7 am and is still in his pajamas.  So if he is in a shirt and tie, it's usually Saturday.

Cleated

Courtney had club soccer practice.  They had a team of younger girls practicing with them.  Some time during the game, one of the younger girls cleated Courtney.  When Courtney got into the car she complained that her leg was burning because a girl had cleated her but it was dark so I couldn't see the damage.  We got home and she showed me and I was amazed!  It was pretty painful!

This is what it looked like a couple of days later.

She ended up with a scar from one of the marks but the rest healed really well.

Decorating for Christmas

We spent the Monday after Thanksgiving setting up our Christmas decorations and getting ready for the holiday.  It was quiet and we missed having Ethan help us, but I think it turned out well.

I am doing the 12 days of Christmas for Ethan and his companion so I had to get things done early to mail to them so they would have it in time.  I made a stocking for Ethan from one of his Church shirts when he was a baby and Bryan's tie.  We have a family in our neighborhood who does vinyl and embroidery so she put a nametag on the shirt for me.  It turned out really cute! Now I can get it mailed.

Yes, I know they have elder stocking at Deseret Book that you can buy but this was more fun!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is low key and quiet this year because of the pandemic.  We ate turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, etc., and then we went to Dixie rock to look around.  Courtney found a natural seat to sit in.

Bryan's Birthday Breakfast

 I didn't take a lot of pictures for Bryan's birthday, which makes me sad, but here is one of his breakfast.  He had an omelet (with mushrooms), hashbrowns and oj.

He had ribs for dinner with rice and veggies.  We didn't do a whole lot for his big day but we love him!

Walking Home and a Lesson

On the way home from work Courtney and I stopped at Harmons for some groceries.  She was driving.  We got out of the car, she reminded me to lock my door (since they aren't automatic locks), and then we went to leave the car to go in the store.  Suddenly, Courtney froze with a panicked look on her face.  She quickly turned back to the car and said "I think I locked the keys in the car."  Her face was hilarious and I burst out laughing.  I couldn't help it.  We looked and, yup, the keys were on the driver's seat and all the doors were locked. 

I laughed and said, "Well, let's walk home and bring back the spare set."  So we took off for our adventure walking home  It's not far at all so it wasn't bad but it was fun to walk with her and brainstorm about how to get the car home.  We finally decided that I would walk back to get the car while Courtney studied for her test.

We got home, I grabbed the keys, and then walked back to Harmons.  What an adventure.

I used the experience as my #givethanks the next day.

When I got to Harmons and got the keys, I sent this picture to Courtney:

She always checks her pockets and makes sure the driver has the keys before shutting the car doors now.

Soccer Gear

Courtney got her soccer gear for her 7 Elite club team.  They have a star for every year they have played with the club and they also have their initials on EVERYTHING.  She got a soccer ball and a bag too. Courtney's bummed that it's Adidas stuff and not Nike but nothing is perfect in this world.

This is her practice uniform but I don't think she will wear it because no one else does.

This is a game jersey.

Another game jersey.

Her jacket with the warm-up pants.

Kahoot

Courtney's class was doing an online Kahoot so they could study for a test.  She was doing really well and was excited.  She ended up placing 2nd out of all the students so she was celebrating.

Gum Graft

On November 13th,  I had a gum graft.  I had one tooth whose root was exposed so the doctor took a bit off the roof of my mouth and put it under the gum on top of this tooth.  It wasn't a huge procedure but apparently, I am hilarious under anesthesia.

Here's how it went down...

I took Friday off so I could have the weekend to recover.  The periodontist told me that it would be painful and it would be a good idea to have some time off to recover. Bryan drove me to the office in the morning and waited for me while I had the procedure done.

They checked out temperatures at the office and then took us back to the room.  Bryan stayed with me while they did the initial stuff.  The doctor put the IV in my hand and then he laid the chair back. Bryan left at this point.  The doctor told me he would give me something to relax before he gave me the "good stuff."  I remember breathing deeply and then the next thing I remember is sitting on the couch in our house and Bryan handing me some strawberry yogurt (which confused me because I knew we didn't have strawberry yogurt).  Anyway, I ate the yogurt and the next thing I remember was waking up at 1:30 in the afternoon.  I walked down the hall and Courtney was in the office doing her online class.  She asked how I was doing and I said "That was a heavenly nap" and she erupted in giggles.  Okay, whatever.  Then I texted Bryan because I wasn't in pain and the doctor told me that I would be in pain so I wondered if he had given me any pain medication.  He said he hadn't, so I took some Tylenol and sat back down.

When Bryan got home that afternoon he told me...the rest of the story.

Apparently, I was with it enough when we left the doctor's office to have conversations with the nurses but he was a bit concerned that they were letting me leave when I was pretty out of it.  We needed to pick up my prescription so Bryan drove to Walmart and, leaving the car running because it was cold, he ran in to get the prescription.  They told him it would be about 30 minutes so he went back to the car to wait with me.  I was out of it and hadn't moved, or so he thought.  He waited until it was ready, went back in, got the prescription, and then we headed home.

A little bit into the drive he heard me sigh and say "That was a heavenly nap.  Now I understand why Michael Jackson had them put him under to sleep at night. How did the doctor say the procedure went?"  Bryan would respond that the doctor said everything went well.

A few minutes later Bryan heard me sigh and say "That was a heavenly nap.  Now I understand why Michael Jackson had them put him under to sleep at night. How did the doctor say the procedure went?"  Bryan assured me that everything went well.

A few minutes later Bryan again heard me sigh and say "That was a heavenly nap.  Now I understand why Michael Jackson had them put him under to sleep at night. How did the doctor say the procedure went?"  He, once again, assured me that everything went well.

A few minutes later Bryan heard me sigh and decided to head me off at the pass.  He said "Was that a heavenly nap?  Is there something you have to say about Michael Jackson?  The doctor said everything went well."  He's a smart guy.

I guess this went on the entire drive home.  I don't remember walking in the house but Courtney said I walked in the house, kicked off my shoes, and collapsed (Courtney said it was "dramatically) on the couch.  Bryan said he asked me what I wanted and I said I wanted strawberry yogurt, so he went to the store to get me some.  When he came back, he gave me the yogurt (something I actually remember!).

Then Bryan went to work while Courtney did her online class and I slept.

The next day I was checking the photo roll on my camera and found this...

Apparently, I wasn't asleep the entire time Bryan was in Walmart getting my prescription. I am so glad I didn't decide to drive myself home because that would have been really bad.

We had a good laugh about the pictures and what had happened while I was out of it.  I hate having holes in my memory!

My graft has healed well and didn't have any pain, which was really weird.  I did have some bruising on my cheek so I decided to start wearing a mask at work instead of a shield so I could cover it up.  But it's all good now.

What an adventure.  I'm glad I can bring amusement to my family!  Ethan was laughing so hard when we told him the story the next Tuesday when he called.  So funny!!