Christmas Morning.....Didn't quite Start Out the way it was Supposed to.

In our family, we all line up and enter the Family Room together, at the same time, on Christmas morning (no one is allowed to go in there on their own before the agreed upon time).
First, everyone kind of just looks around, and finds "their" spot where their things have been left, and then they sit down and soak it all in.

 

Then, everyone is free to leisurely go through their stockings and see what is in them - and act ALL excited AND thankful AND jubilant!!!  :)
After that, we start opening presents, in turn, one by one.

So....we all got seated, AND BEFORE WE'D OPENED EVEN ONE PRESENT, all of a sudden, Kyle says, "Look, I cut my hand!" as he holds up his hand in front of Matt's face.

From across the room, in my dazed state (very LATE nights/mornings for the previous few nights), I look over and I can't figure out WHAT he's talking about.  I mean, we've literally ONLY been in the family room a couple of minutes TOPS, so HOW do you cut your hand by just sitting there or pulling things out of your stocking???

Did Santa put something sharp in there?

Since my mind was running so slowly, I was just staring and thinking, but no words actually made it out of my mouth.  (I know - shocker, huh?!?)
Matt, on the other hand, immediately asks, "WHAT JUST HAPPENED?" 

Apparently, Kyle had wanted to open up some socks that he got, and he took Matt's Swiss Army knife (without him noticing) to cut those plastic barbs that hold new socks together.

AND he missed or slipped, and got his finger.

Matt informed him (& everyone) that ONLY HE should touch the knife!

So, then Kyle started to bleed pretty good, so Matt told him to get over to the kitchen, so we could get a towel to put pressure on it (and so the blood wouldn't drip on the couch/carpet!)

But, then he started to get freaked out by the blood.
Side note: he has a history of this - NOT doing well at the sight or thought of blood. ;)  In fact, earlier this year, when all the kids had to go in for labs, Kyle about passed out and was given a ice pack and had to lay down.  Katelyn locked herself in the bathroom, crying.  And Brookelle was totally calm and fine and cooperated perfectly and was done in 20 seconds.  Hmmm....what is wrong with this picture?!?  ;)

But, when Kyle got up to move to the kitchen, he started to feel faint, so we had him sit down in a chair.

And then his face got all white.

And he started to sweat.

And breathe irregularly.

And was demanding to know how bad it was bleeding, as he was bouncing his foot up and down and putting his head down on the table and groaning.

Meanwhile, Matt & I are playing nurse/doctor.  I go to get or look for cloths and gauze and Neosporin and antiseptic spray and butterfly band-aids (couldn't find a single one!) and Matt applied pressure and performed all the treatment.  And the girls just continued to look through their Christmas stockings - No, I'm sure they were worried sick about their brother instead!  ;)

It was difficult to ignore the mayhem going on in the kitchen!!

Well, Kyle was feeling sick - that was for sure - he thought he was going to throw up, so I went looking for our bucket.  It wasn't in it's usual spot, and I was told to go look in Katelyn's room since she had felt sick in the middle of the night.  So, I go up to her room, and I found it......WITH vomit in it already!  So, then I go to the bathroom and rinse it out, then run back downstairs with the clean bucket for Kyle.  Luckily, he hadn't needed it yet.

Then Kyle says he can't feel his hand.
Or his arms.
And his head hurts.
His skin looks kind of gray, too.
And then he starts to apologizing for taking his dad's knife!  (His form of "death bed repentance?")

I get him a drink of water and a cold washcloth, his sister comes to his side and rubs his back.
Matt stops the bleeding, and dresses the wound after multiple attempts on the tricky finger bends, but Kyle doesn't even want to lift his head up to look at the damage.

We finally get him back to the couch, and laid him down, put his head on a pillow, feet elevated, and cover him with a blanket.....because NOW he has the chills (and he wants the cut hand to be out of sight!)
His face was still super white (it was funny/not funny)...and his previous enthusiasm for Christmas morning had disappeared!

So, not the way we normally start out Christmas morning.  ;)

So, about an hour later than intended, we resumed our stocking discovery and eventually started opening gifts, too.

And then took a break when a special Skype call came in:

It ended up to be just what the doctor ordered.  Because Kyle was able to perk back up for that! 

"Privacy, Please" is the New "Barge on In"

Here's something to ponder: if you were to see THIS sign:

WHAT WOULD YOU THINK IT MEANT?

My husband and I spent the couple of days at the beautiful Hotel Park City, about a 45 minute drive from our home, this week.

                           

My husband had a meeting, so I was in our "cottage" making sure I fulfilled the meaning of, "leisurely morning" to the fullest!  (Remember, I like to do that, when I'm a guest on Matt's trips?)  I was sitting out on our deck, in the plush Hotel robe, sipping hot cocoa and eating fruit, with the tree leaves rustling, and a breeze gently swirling about me - not a golfer in sight, yet.......
...when, ding dong, I heard our door bell ring, so I start heading to the door (not even dressed in real clothes) to answer it. 
BUT, before I could even get there, the door opens up!  I was around the corner, and out of view of the door at this moment, but a MAN'S voice calls out, "Hello?" 
"Hello." I called back from where I was standing.
"Oh, I'll come back later," said the male voice.
Ya....you better not be staying!

So, I go and check the door, and sure enough, the "Privacy Please" door hanger had been put out by my husband when he left that morning, so WHY the intrusion from Mr. Hello.......???
To be even more secure, I found a "dead bolt" type knob that was also labeled, "privacy" so I turned that after he left.

.......AND THEN when Matt came back to our cottage, he was totally locked out and not able to get in!  :)  (I guess not even a key card will work if the knob is turned!)

After, we were in the back part of our cottage, getting ready for lunch (and when I say, "we," it means Matt was waiting for me to get ready) with the "Privacy Please" sign still on the door, and we hear a noise that sounds like our front door is opening, followed by a MAN calling out, "Hello?"

What?  Again?!?

Matt goes out to the front (I still had wet hair, fresh from the shower) and I hear him say, "Hey, What's up?"  And then I hear him telling someone that this is our room, and we've been here since yesterday, etc. etc.
Well, my curiosity got to me, so I walked out there to see what was going on, and there were two men in our room, with their rolling luggage and bags over their shoulders, looking like they're ready to move in to our same cottage! 
Did they not see the "Privacy Please" sign and think, Something's not right with this room!?
(Turns out, they had been given this room assignment AND key cards to it at check-in just moments before.)
So, they, being convinced that the cottage was already occupied, left.

Then, of course, Matt & I started discussing all these "forced entries" when, ding dong, our doorbell rings.  It was one of those same guys, asking for his sunglasses that he'd left on the kitchen counter.  Yes, they'd originally come in that far and started to settle into the place, when they must've seen some of our stuff here and there, and were prompted to call out.
At least they rang the doorbell that time!  ;)

Then the next day, JUST AS I was putting myself back together after using the bathroom, ding dong, our doorbell rings.  So, then I'm trying to stumble towards the door, and finish pulling up/fastening my pants at the same time, when the front door opens, followed by.....you got it!.....a MAN'S voice calling out, "Hello?"

Again?!? Yes. Again!

"Hello." I echoed back.
Now, fully dressed, I walked around the corner to the front door, and the man there informs me, "I'm just going to check your hot tub" as he proceeds to walk further into my cottage!
To which I must've responded with a stupefied look, not moving, because then he stopped, as if he was just struck with an intelligent thought, and he says, "I'll just come back later."
Uhhh....,ya you will!

After he left, I double checked - the Privacy Please sign WAS indeed up on the door then, too.

THREE TIMES we had trespassers.
THREE TIMES that sign failed us.
THREE TIMES I was seconds away from being spotted [in a compromising situation.]
THREE TIMES I wondered if people don't know how to read anymore.

OR........
Maybe I have misinterpreted the meaning and purpose of that sign all these years?!?   If so, please clue me in.  ;)


****************
We really DO enjoy this resort - we have stayed there for 3 years in a row now - we came to the conclusion that somehow, their computer system did not register that our room had guests in it, and everyone thought it was vacant.  At least we're hoping there was an innocent explanation, and this is not a common practice......

101 Things to Do with a Treadmill

Probably one of the most well known things to do with a treadmill is this: 

Hopefully, I will put my new one to GOOD USE - in the proper way it was meant to be used, that is!

I shouldn't have this problem because the treadmill's going to be in the "weight room" READ: unfinished room of our basement that currently houses our weight bench and other exercise equipment.  And that happens to be FAR AWAY from my clothes - it'd be a farther trip to the basement - and more effort - to leave my clothes on the treadmill than to just put them away in my closet!  Now, the boys who reside in the basement?.......I can't make any guarantees about where their clothes might end up!

But, here at the Brenchley household, we've found another thing to do with a treadmill.....
WEAR IT ON OUR BACK.
(we always have done things a little differently).
Allow me to explain:
A couple of days ago, when Matt was trying to move the treadmill from the front room down to the basement, he recruited Kyle to help him.
I was sitting at the computer desk minding my own business (actually I was emailing back & forth with Ryan, it was his P-Day) when all of a sudden, Kyle yells, "Mom!  HELP!"
I went down the stairs and found Matt was laying face down on the stairs with the big treadmill box on top of him!  Apparently, the distribution of strength was not equal?  Kyle was standing at the bottom of the stairs just watching, telling me his dad was crunched underneath it!  Kyle claimed he couldn't do much from his position....so, I had to go lift the box off of Matt!

Thinking of other uses for treadmills, THIS memory from two houses ago comes to mind:

{Ryan, circa 1997}
A CLIMB ON TOY FOR TODDLERS.

THIS treadmill didn't get used much because it was a manual one - as in non-electric!  (I KNOW!  What a silly invention, right?!?)  You had to push real hard with your feet to get the belt going, while moving the arm handles.....which meant your speed was never constant.  And sometimes it would stop.  And it was super hard to get it going again...yada, yada, yada!  It was simply too much of a hassle, so it sat ignored by the adults, but it was too irresistible for baby boys to leave alone!!  ;)

While someday I may complete my "treadmill uses book," similar to the idea of this one:

For now, I will share just one more thing to do with a treadmill.

KISS IT.

Back in the day when I went to a real gym to workout, I liked to walk/run on their treadmills.

The only problem was:  so did everyone else, and the availability was a problem.  OPEN treadmills were few and far between at certain times of the day (the time I always happened to be at the gym!)  So, my strategy was to bide my time on the nearby stationary bikes while keeping an eye on the row of treadmills....

THEN, as soon as someone got off, I'd jump off the bike and sprint over to the treadmill to get on it.  And, I had to move fast because sometimes, other gym-goers were lurking in other corners, ready to pounce on an open treadmill, as well.

So, ONE DAY, when I saw a treadmill become open, I rushed over to it....yes! I was the first one there!  And, I hurriedly stepped right on....

And just as quickly, my feet flipped out from underneath me, and my face ended up just inches from the MOVING BELT.  And then I may or may not have let out a little scream!  Just a little one.....that everyone within 50 yards of me heard!

Did you get the picture from my description?  Here, does this help?

Apparently, the previous user had NOT turned the treadmill off, and I, in my haste to secure a rare open treadmill, stepped right on without bothering to check if the belt was still running.  WHO LEAVES THE TREADMILL GOING WHEN THEY'RE DONE WITH IT, ANYWAY?!?

Everyone else was much amused....at my expense.

BUT!  I DID finish my workout, I'm proud to say!

 

Good thing, because the rest of my pride was surely GONE!

Who Ya Gonna Call?

In the course of selling our home over the last 6 weeks, we've had a good number of prospective buyers come through to take a look. After they have come to see our home, my brother, our listing agent, will call me with the feedback.

WARNING TO THOSE THINKING ABOUT SELLING IN THE FUTURE: This feedback stuff - hearing the reasons people aren't going to buy your home - can be hard on your psyche! It's not for the "faint of heart."

Some of the feedback are things we can't even change. (They didn't like how, when standing at our front door, they could see all the way through the different rooms to the back of our home.) Other feedback we can fix, and we do. (Installing more rain gutters.) And some feedback we could change, if we spent a million dollars, but we're not going to. (Put in a new deck & stairs in the back.)

Well, my brother didn't call me with feedback from the most recent prospective buyers that came to our home. He didn't call me, because he wanted to see the look on my face when he told me in person.

And when he told me at our family Christmas party the other day, my reaction (and those others around me) DID NOT DISAPPOINT. :)

He said that when he called the other Realtor who'd brought the buyers to my home, the other Realtor stumbled over his words at first, and had a hard time explaining his clients...

He said that these particular clients bring a meter thingie when they go around looking at houses.

WHAT?

I don't know about you, but THIS came to mind:

AS IN THIS:

From a certain movie you "Children of the 80's" might be familiar with...

So, the other Realtor says his clients walk around houses with this meter and measure.....this is where he was hesitant...and couldn't find the right words...because he didn't really understand, himself....but the "measurement" tells the clients SOMETHING. The rest of my family was gone, but I actually had to be in my home office working my JetBlue shift at the time and I did hear people out in the hall whispering, but I couldn't understand any words.

Initially, I thought that was just how people speak if the homeowners are there, (I do the same thing. P.S. If you're selling your house, and if possible, LEAVE when people come to look. It's so much better; they'll stay longer, they'll imagine themselves living there - not YOU, and they could even actually sit down on your furniture and start talking about possible offer scenarios. It's TRUE - I can vouch for it!) but, now in light of this new information, I realize their whispers may have had more to do with the mysterious nature of their "findings."

Their "findings," as it turns out, is what will prevent them from buying our home. Our home's "measurement" didn't make the cut. The "measurement" wasn't super high, but it was a little higher than their limit they have set for themselves. That was the feedback.

You. Have. GOT. To. Be. Kidding. Me!

Right?!?

My brother was not kidding. He said that is a first in his 8 year Real Estate career. He has never dealt with "Meter People."

So, I'm kind of unclear on this....What category would you say that feedback falls into?
a) Something that CAN be changed, and we WILL fix it. (And if so - HOW?!?)
b) Something that CAN be changed, but Oh well - DEAL WITH IT!
OR
c) Something that CAN'T even be changed.

(?) (?) (?)

One thing's for sure, my neighbors will THANK me for....that SOMETHING that we have in our home. Because now they don't have to have psychos moving in for neighbors!

(Maybe they think they already have psychos for neighbors?!!?) :)

*****
You're all singing now, aren't you?

If there's something strange
in your neighborhood
Who ya gonna call?
GHOSTBUSTERS

If there's something weird
and it don't look good
Who ya gonna call?
GHOSTBUSTERS