Oh Winston!

I was pretty excited to get back to a regular blogging schedule last week.  I had a few topics/events in mind to write about and I was going to work time into my unpacking schedule so I could get back on track.  Then, last Thursday, the computer wouldn't turn on.  The printer was fine and the monitor was fine.  We finally had consistent internet.  But the computer tower was just dead.  We went to Flagstaff for the weekend (we went on the Polar Express!) so we couldn't do anything about the computer until Sunday.

 

On Sunday Megan brought her fancy camera over and took our Christmas picture for the 3rd year in a row.  She had to leave the memory card with us since we couldn't download anything off of it.  After she left we took the computer to Best Buy.  They explained that for them to do anything (diagnostics, repair, etc) you have to first purchase a $200 membership that covers all electronics.   So anything they did would be $200 up front and then $75 for the diagnostic test and then the cost of parts/labor for whatever is wrong.  Um, sorry, no.

 

Michael brought the computer to work with him on Wednesday and gave it to the IT guy who fixed our hard drive over the summer.  It took him about 4 minutes at home that night to determine we just needed a new power source.  He charged us $50 total- that's for the part and labor (and the part was almost $50 so he pretty much did the labor for free). 

 

We were trying so hard to get our Christmas cards out this week since a lot of people don't have our new address to send us theirs.  Without the computer, though, I couldn't download the pictures to view and edit them,  I couldn't order prints, I couldn't write the letter, and every single address that we have is saved in a word document of labels. 

 

I got to work early on Tuesday and stayed late so that I could do the picture and the letter from my office computer.  I did the labels on Thursday.  Somehow we managed to get everything done without a computer.  And then, as soon as everything was finished, we got the computer back.

 

So, hopefully all of the technological gliches are over for a long while and it can be business as usual here at A Beagle and A Baby.  There are way too many things coming up this month to not be able to blog.  Plus, I had a request for a guest post.  That's cool, huh?

 

Let's talk about Winston. 

 

I have been going to bed at 3 am all of this week.  It gives me 6 solid hours to work after the kids are in bed.  I was OK for the first 3 days.  Now I feel like dying.  I think the 3 am bed time is over starting tomorrow.  It has been necessary though because 1) we're not done unpacking, 2) I needed to decorate for Christmas amongst the chaos and 3) Elliott's party is next week.  One of the last things I do before my 3 am bed time is to get Winston, AKA, our Elf on the Shelf, ready for Spencer.  We are having the best time with him.  He just came to us this year via a 20% off coupon at Buy Buy Baby, er, I mean from the North Pole.  Spencer wanted to name him Elmo, but I kind of pushed the name Winston.  It's 7 letters and British, which is basically the two criteria I have for naming anybody (I did not name Ginger, thus her 6 letter failure of a name).

 

On Monday morning Winston was trying to roast an oversized marshmallow on a fondue fork in the fire place. 

 

Oh Winston!  That marshmallow is much too large for you.

On Tuesday morning Winston was snuggled on the window ledge with a kitchen towel and a good book.

 

Oh Winston!  Kitchen towels are for drying dishes, not for lower body warmth.

On Wednesday morning Winston was riding on top of the garbage truck and had made a mess with tissues.

 

Oh Winston!  You'll get crushed by the garbage compactor if you accidentally fall in.

On Thursday morning Winston was chilling on the chandelier and drinking a juice pouch.

 

Oh Winston!  Juice pouches will rot your teeth to the pulp.

On Friday moning Winston was tied to the train tracks while all of the trains from the Island of Sodor looked on.

 

Oh Winston! Don't do it.  This is just a cry for help. 

 

Spencer walks around all day going, "Oh Winston!  You silly little elf."

 

He was 5 years 3 months old yesterday.   He wants to wear his Snoopy shirt every day this month.

 

I just re-read this for editing purposes after posting it.  I had seriously just ended the post with the word "month".  No wrap-up.  No witty remarks.  No stay tuned for this awesomeness coming up tomorrow.  I need more sleep.  I'm obviously not doing well.