Remember, remember the fifth of November,
Gunpowder treason and plot.
We see no reason
Why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot!

Anyone ever seen “V for Vendetta?” That’s the only reason I knew about Guy Fawkes before coming to England. I’m not sure if locals remember why they celebrate, but it’s supposed to be a celebration that this treasonous plot didn’t actually go through.

Our Guy Fawkes Day was pretty boring. We had our living room painted that day, so we hung out in the conservatory for about 6 hours. I watched “Crazy Stupid Love” on Andrew’s phone, sorted coupons, and knitted. See? I don’t get bored. 🙂 Our living room went from cream to a dark taupe:

While I was anxious for our household goods to arrive, I was also relieved that we got the room painted before all the furniture came. It would have been a hassle to move it all.

So after the room got painted, we got cleaned up, and we ate dinner, we drove into Brandon, a nearby town, to see what Guy Fawkes Night was all about. They hosted the celebration in a big field with several food/drink vendors and some activities for the kids.

They were just getting the bonfire started when we arrived:

They had it roped off so you couldn’t get too close, but even standing right by the rope, it was REALLY hot! We stood there for awhile to warm up, but then we had to move away, because our faces were roasting.

A lot of the kids had glow sticks and light-up toys, and some had sparklers too. Next year I want sparklers too! 🙂

The bonfire got pretty huge… I don’t think I was expecting such a big fire, since this isn’t a very big town!

They burn a dummy, which is supposed to represent Guy Fawkes. Kind of macabre, but this holiday does originate in the early 1600s.

Next they started shooting off fireworks! It reminded me of our 4th of July celebration, except 1) we were wearing coats, and 2) the fireworks could start at 7:15 because it was already completely dark out!

We had a really fun time, although next year I hope we can go with some friends. We enjoyed our first British holiday! 🙂

I’d like to wish my little sister, Kelsi, a very happy 21st birthday! It has probably been a few years since I’ve celebrated Kelsi’s birthday on her birthday… this is the last one I have a picture of:

But this is only her 2nd birthday that I haven’t seen her on the weekend before or after her birthday. Sad. 😦

I also don’t really remember when Kelsi was born… I wasn’t quite 6 at the time, but I wish I had a better memory than that!

But I do remember quite a few of these pictures being taken:

Ah, memories. 🙂 Kelsi has always been known as the “hugger.” It doesn’t matter much who you are, if Kelsi feels like hugging you, she probably will. She’s always been the most affectionate of us four girls. And I remember when she was little, she had the most infectious giggle! She still does. 🙂

She & Becki were always together, since they were born only 18 months apart. When I look at pictures of us growing up, it seems like every picture of Kelsi had Becki in it too!

It was hard to think of Kelsi as anything but a little kid when I was in college: I left when she was 12 and then all of a sudden she was graduating from high school herself! I think the best part about all of us being in our 20s (well, Becki will be 20 in the summer) is that we finally have a lot in common! Before Kelsi & Becki graduated from high school, I still thought of them as being so much younger than me. And now Kelsi is expecting her own little one! I can’t believe my little sister is having a baby in March. But I’m excited to be an aunt for the 2nd time! 🙂

So I hope you have a very happy birthday, Kelsi! Hopefully having your birthday on Friday the 13th is GOOD luck for you. I love you & miss you very much!

In the beginning of November, I decided it was time to stop being lazy and get myself in the routine of daily chores. I used to have one when I lived with a roommate back in Milwaukee, and it worked really well for me then. So here is the chore chart that I came up with:

I have to tweak this a bit, since some things need to be done more often (laundry). I also want to make something like this instead of a piece of notebook paper. I think that putting chores up in the clothespins will help me stay motivated. I’m a very visual person, so completing a chore and physically removing that chore from a board would help me, I think. Plus it’s something I would consider “fun”. 🙂

I realize that some of you might think I’m a nut for creating a chore chart for myself (since I am 26, not 6), but someone like me needs this! I have had people complain about being bored (people who, like me, don’t currently have a job), and I really don’t know how to sympathize with this. I am never bored. Seriously, if I feel that twinge of the beginning of boredom, I can probably come up with a list of 5-7 things I could do. And during the day, I am probably in the middle of doing 3 different things about 50% of the time. There are just so many things I want to do and not enough hours in the day! I think this is why I used to be tired all the time: I had a full-time job AND wanted to do everything else!

Apparently, I am not the only one like this. I read an article that described me to a T. Well, pretty much. The reason I don’t delegate chores is because I’m not working and my husband is. I don’t get chores done simply because I don’t want to do them. I have other things I would much rather do (blog, crochet, knit, watch a movie, organize recipes, make crafts, etc). I am more of the overwhelmed-by-standards-they-just-can’t-meet person. I get caught up in wanting every aspect of my home to be a certain way.

And that is why I need a chore chart. And a daily schedule. Did I mention I’m a visual person? If I see a list in front of me that has what I need/want to accomplish, I am much more likely to actually do all of those things. I am a person who needs to put activities in time chunks, otherwise I get distracted. Hmm… I’m starting to think maybe I just drink too much coffee!

Even my husband gets a little irked with my can’t-sit-still issue. I have a very difficult time sitting and watching a movie without doing something else. I very rarely am sitting on the couch not doing something. If we’re watching a movie, I’m also knitting/crocheting. Or I’m sorting coupons. Or putting recipes in my binder. Or browsing Pinterest on my phone. Thankfully, Andrew has accepted that I am just one of those people who can’t relax (it’s funny, but it’s not). And once in awhile, just to make him happy, I do snuggle under a blanket with him and watch a movie. Without a single thing in my hands. 🙂