Homemaking Meme

Aprons – Y/N? I throw one on when I'm making spaghetti sauce or chili and it's doing that lava thing. I've ruined a couple of shirts -- I learn the hard way.

Baking – Favorite thing to bake: Cookies of course! I make a mean chocolate chip.

Clothesline – Y/N? Nah.

Donuts – Have you ever made them? Nope. Krispy Kreme is not far away and they make the best doughnuts in the world.

Every day – One homemaking thing you do every day: Dishes, laundry, pick up toys and junk at the end of the day.

Freezer – Do you have a separate deep freeze? Yep - out in the garage. I like it for frozen pizza and those huge buckets of ice cream. They don't fit in our fridge freezer. I also keep ground beef and frozen veggies in it.

Garbage Disposal – Y/N? You bet. Ours can chew through cantaloupe rinds like they're nothing. I use it daily.

Handbook – What is your favorite homemaking resource - I check out books from the library a lot. I've probably had the entire section checked out at one point or another (not all at the same time!).

Ironing – Love it or hate it? Hate it. I pretty much only do it for special occassions. I don't actually hate the act of ironing, but I hate having to set up the board and worrying about the kids knocking it over or pulling the iron on themselves, etc. We don't have a convenient spot to just keep it up all the time.

Junk drawer – Y/N? Where is it? In the kitchen, but it is organized. It is more of a catch-all drawer for screws, pins, paper, tape, etc. Plus we have a drawer for manuals and papers.

Kitchen: Design & Decorating? Hand-me-down floral/fruity wallpaper in red, blue and green (my parents lived in this house before us). I've added roosters to the mix.

Love – What is your favorite part of homemaking? Just being able to stay home with the kids. Not having to be gone all day and then come home and try to cram togetherness into 2-3 hours.

Mop – Y/N? No. I don't really care for mops. I vacuum almost daily. I also use the original Swiffer dry cloths to get up dust and crumbs. I do the washing the old-fashioned way -- on my hands and knees.

Nylons – Wash by hand or in the washing machine? I hardly wear hose any more, now that I'm not a Mary Kay lady anymore - ha! Our church is casual too, so I'm always in pants (or jeans!) or I wear tights occassionally.

Oven – Do you use the window or open the oven to check? Hmmm. Both, I guess. I look through the window for glancing in, but if I need a really GOOD look, I'll open it up and pull out the rack.

Pizza – What do you put on yours? Well, my favorites are double mushrooms or supreme. But since I'm a good submissive wife (grinning), we usually get "meat" - either sausage or pepperoni or both.

Quiet – What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment? Hop on the good 'ole computer. (Wish I could say that I open my Bible - but that would be lying.)

Recipe card box – Y/N? I have one that my Mom filled with "her" recipes. I also have a couple of cookbooks and a pile of recipes that I printed off the internet.

Style of house – One story - 3 bedrooms. I don't know what style it would be called.

Tablecloths and napkins – Y/N? No tablecloth unless it's Christmas. Paper napkins or paper towels daily and in large quantities.

Under the kitchen sink – Organized or toxic wasteland? Toxic wasteland. I still have cleaning supplies that my Mom left here - 7 years ago.

Vacuum – How many times per week? Parts of the house are vacuumed daily. My vacuum is out so often, I pretend that it's just part of the decor.

Wash – How many loads of laundry do you do per week? A load or two a day. On the weekends I get off track and don't get it done and by Monday the pile is huge again.... sigh.

X’s – Do you keep a daily list of things to do that you cross off? Usually only when I'm running a lot of errands with a lot of stops. I do like lists - so I have a big master list of every thing that needs to be done in the house.

Yard – Y/N? Who does what? Bobby (and Chris) do the mowing on the riding mower. If any weeds need pulled, it's up to me. You can tell by looking at our yard that we do low maintenance. Neither of us are yard people - Bobby has joked about cementing it all in and painting it green.

Zzz’s – What is your last homemaking task for the day before going to bed? Packing lunches, wiping the countertops, packing the dishwasher.

Join in if you feel inspired. :)

Blogger's Block

I don't know what's going on with me... I feel bored and boring. I have the winter doldrums.

The Christmas toys have already kind of lost their new-ness.

We went to Target again (the day before the kids went back to school/MDO) and I picked up some cheap-o dress up stuff from the dollar section. Chris got a pirate outfit. He was thrilled with it. When his teacher asked him on Tuesday what he got for Christmas or what his favorite present was or whatever, he told her all about the pirate costume, not the super cool electric guitar, or the guns, or the Leapster that I told my parents Chris would just die for. Nope. None of those things are even in his conciousness now. Just a cheap costume that has already ripped completely up the side and been repaired with duct tape.

While we there, Emily spotted these beauties. I'm not a huge fan of these types of shoes, but if you can't wear sparkly mary janes at (almost) 2 years old, when can you wear them?

I finally cashed in the gift certificate for the "spa experience" that Bobby sweetly gave to me last Valentine's Day. That's a whole blog unto itself. It was a nice and semi-relaxing hour and a half. I'll give details soon.

One more item to report.... Our Christmas tree still stands. Shameful.

Fortunately, as Sara showed everyone, we'll have plenty of time indoors to get nice and organized and "de-treed".

Last but not least, this was one of my Christmas presents. A fountain punch bowl. Needless to say, it's been a great source of entertainment and awe for my bored kids this January. I say, we must be living the high life if we've got our own fountain in our home!

Christmas Picture Montage

Here's a glimpse of some of our Christmas holiday this year.

We had a really great Christmas this year. My Mom and Pop were here with us which we all loved. The whole family (both sides - 16 total!) gathered here on Christmas day for the feasting and gift chaos. And now we're still in the post-holiday stupor of laziness and clutter. How's that for short and sweet?

Chris must have been really good this year. Besides the huge can of TinkerToys, he got a Leapster LMax, 5 (we have foam "bullets" all over our house!) guns, and an electric guitar!!

Emily's big hits were her Little People doll house, tea set and plastic food and a baby doll. Strangely, I don't have any pics of her with any of it.

Most of the time I get caught up in the fun and only remember to grab the camera after all of the action has taken place.

Final shot: Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without lots and lots of CHOCOLATE!

Edited to add: You know the whole "Bobby and Jenny are downplaying Santa with our kids" thing that I mentioned below? Well, Emily loves Santa.

"Sa-ta, sa-ta, sa-ta..." Every time we see anyone that even resembles him.

So, Santa is alive and well in the our household. No worries.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

"But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you: he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.'"

Luke 2:10-12

I"m Doing Something Right, I Guess

The title of the post is partially said in jest, but, maybe partially not. I'm not sure how other kids are, but mine love to clean. It all started when Chris was younger - around 2-ish. He fell in love with the vacuum. You can ask his grandparents. Every time we'd go to their house, all he wanted to do was vacuum. At home, he wanted to vacuum. All the time. I chalked it up to Chris being a quirky kid.

But now Emily loves to vacuum. And the other day, Chris was playing in the sink, and when I walked into the kitchen, Chris had bubbles covering every inch of the sink. I asked him what he was doing, and he said,

"Scrubbing."

"Oh, okay."

And I turned and walked out of the kitchen. Scrub away, my son, scrub away.

A post for the day when I have nothing to post....

All about the Holidays

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Both! But holy cow, the calories in eggnog is outrageous!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? When I was little, the gifts from Santa were in and around the stocking - unwrapped. Bobby and I are really downplaying Santa with our kids, so we haven't ever done gifts specifically from him. They just have some small trinkets in the stocking.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Multicolored on the tree. None on the house ....yet. I'm working on him.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Yep - a fake bunch of it. Right in our entrance. Most people don't even notice it though.

5. When do you put your decorations up? A couple of weeks before Christmas (this weekend), but we leave them up a long time! har har.6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Gosh, I love almost all of it. Probably the green bean casserole and stuffing are my faves.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: When I was 7 or 8, I was starting to have doubts about Santa, so my parents staged a Santa "break-in". They woke me up to spy on Santa coming in our back door and leaving presents. I remember peeking around the corner of the hallway at him and counting all the grown up relatives that were "hiding" from him and realizing that all of them were accounted for.... so, Santa really did exist! That lasted for about 2 more years.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Oh, a couple of years later, I just kind of knew. Parents kind of confirmed - I guess they gave up trying to convince me. They said something about the "spirit" of Santa and giving to others.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? I used to be able to open one present on Christmas Eve.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Tons of colored lights and then ornaments.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? I love it for looking at and playing in and skiing on. Driving... not so much.

12. Can you ice skate? I could when I was 13. Haven't since.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I've gotten some really great ones. But, there isn't any ONE that stands out. Maybe the trips from my parents - those are hard to beat. Of course, now, it's all about my kids.

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ with my family.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Christmas cookies!!!!!! I LOVE them.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Going to church on Christmas Eve and doing the whole candle thing while singing Silent Night.

17. What tops your tree? A star.

18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? Well, I'll NEVER turn down a gift. But, I do like finding the perfect thing for someone and then watching them open it up. : )

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? Joy to the World, Carol of the Bells, Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire,

20. Candy Canes? Eh, my kids don't care for them so much... I do hang some on the tree.

Join in the fun and let me know what your Christmas is like.

Snow Day

Crazy Oklahoma weather -- Tuesday was in the 70's and today was in the teens... yikes. I bundled the kids up like the little boy in Christmas Story, heehee! Emily wasn't real thrilled because it was windy, but Chris had a ball and then came in for hot chocolate. He didn't last too much longer than Emily did. :)

All my names

1. Your real name: Jenny

2. Your Gangsta name (favorite ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) : Cookie Dough Ladylock

3. Your "Fly Guy/Girl" name (first initial of first name, first 3 letters of last): J Ket

4. Your Detective name (favorite color, favorite animal): Green Cat

5. Your Soap Opera name (middle name, town where born): Louise Plattsburgh

6. Your Star Wars name (first 3 letters of last name, first 2 letters of first name, first 3 letters of mom's maiden name): Ketjeand

7. Superhero name (favorite color, favorite drink): Green Dew

8. Iraqi name (second letter of first name, third letter of last name, any letter of middle name, second letter of mom's maiden name, third letter of dad's middle name, first letter of a sibling's first name, last letter of mom's middle name): Etsnu-e

9. Stripper name (name of favorite perfume/cologne/body spray): Breathless

10. Witness protection name (mother and father's middle names): Louise Bruce

Thanksgiving Feast

Well, today was the Thanksgiving Feast at "school". It was really nice - cute kids and great food. Each class put on a little presentation -- a song or poem or whatever. Neither of my kids uttered a word when their class was up. Oh, well.

The pastor if the church said a few words before we prayed over the food. He said that he was watching the parents during the presentations and that we were all grinning like idiots (my word, not his!) and waving our arms, trying to get the kids to look at us, and taking pictures with multiple cameras. He mentioned that it was great how proud we are of our kids and how much we love them.

Then he said that that is exactly how God feel about us, His children. He loves us even more than that. Wow. What a neat illustration. There are times that I forget that. God loves me. And you. I know that in my head, but sometimes I don't feel it so clearly. When the pastor said what he did, I felt it to the tips of my toes. How awesome. And how much we have to be thankful for!

Happy Thanksgiving!

What a Weekend

We had a pretty great weekend this past weekend. Bobby's birthday was on Thursday. Since he works on base, and they had Friday off for Veteran's Day, he went ahead and took Thursday as a vacation day. It was awesome.

The kids were at school, so we had 5 whole hours all to ourselves. We just did some running around town - went to a music store, the new huge library downtown, and ate lunch out. Then we came home and watched Lucky Number Slevin. I thought it was really good - I like suspense movies a lot.

The timing was perfect. As soon as the movie was over, it was time to go get the kids. Then we ran to Walmart to pick up the "guitar" birthday cake. We met the rest of the family at Olive Garden (Bobby's favorite restaurant) and then all came back to the house for cake and ice cream.

Friday was a real nothing day. Sleeping in and hanging around the house, playing. We started working on our new hobby/side "business". (I'll tell more later.)

Saturday was pretty much the same - just more running around town. This time with the kids. Then went to our favorite 5:30 church service.

After church, we came back home and changed clothes and Bobby and I went to Steve's karaoke bar while the local grandparents stayed with the kiddos. Bobby played his guitar and sang 2 songs in front of the audience. He did really well, but the sound system is new and there were some feedback issues. Then after a couple of margaritas and much pleading, Steve and Bobby convinced me to sing for the very first time at a karaoke bar. I did awful, but it was fun.

Sunday was another lazy sweatpants day. We played in the back yard with the kids and watched MI3. It was better than I expected.

Typing it all out, just now, it doesn't seem like anything special. But this long weekend with my favorite people was the perfect amount of "out" time and "in home" time. It was an awesome weekend. :)

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Picture found at liducks.com

October Fun

Pumpkin Patch --- Carving "Bob the Tomato" Pumkin ---

Cute Cat and (10 minutes before he gets sick all over the living room) "The Thing"

Why I Love Ebay

9 pairs of little girl shoes for $24.50!

Wahoo!

Chris Has Done a Bad Bad Thing

I'm just now getting on to share some very bad news with you. Elmo lovers should avert their gaze....

The other night, I looked up from the computer to see Chris carrying Elmo around like this:

Horrifying, yes? Well, the brutality just gets worse. Chris begins to delight in the awful display of torture and swings poor Elmo, mercilessly, around the living room. Be sure to notice the loud "clink" before the wailing and weeping begins. I'll tell you what happened after you view the evidence.

The clink? Elmo's eyeballs hitting the fireplace door. Terrifying.

WARNING!! Our house is NOT Elmo friendly. Sob.

Mish-Mash Catch Up Post (long)

Okay, I'm still here. I finally uploaded a ton of pictures from my camera. Thought I'd catch up on about 10 different random things that have been going on or that I've mentioned in previous posts.

1. Grandma is doing better. She's being moved 1 1/2 hrs. closer to home to a cardiac rehab center. This is good. My Mom has been driving pretty much daily to be with her and although she'd never admit it, it's got to be taking a toll on her. I'm glad for both of them for this move.

Four Generations

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2.Yesterday I did the craziest, stupidest thing ever. The kids finally went back to "school" (Mother's Day Out/ Little Sprouts -- whatever... we call it school). Anyway, occasionally I like to go to the heath food store to look around. I have these great plans to one day wake up a vegan health nut, long-distance runner athlete. Hasn't happened yet, but anyway.... while I was there, I saw some of this Mochi that I'd heard about online. It's this weird rice concoction that you bake. It puffs up on the outside and the inside is chewy.

So, I get home and am putting away the groceries and decide to bake up some of the Mochi to try for lunch. I turn on the oven to 450 to preheat. Not 2 minutes pass and I start to smell something strange. Sometimes our oven has a "hot" smell when I first turn it on, kind of like the first time you turn on the heat for the winter and it gives off that burned dust smell, so I didn't pay too much attention. Just another minute or two later and I really smell something not right, so I turn around and see smoke pouring out of the top of the oven. It looks like a scene out of a movie.

I open the oven door and there are FLAMES and all of this blue gook dripping all over the rack and the element. I gasp and shut the oven door, trying to figure out what was in there. Then I remember that I'd left a pan of brownies in a pyrex pan with a plastic snap on lid in the oven. The night before, I'd pryed open a corner of the lid to slice off part of one of the brownies. The family saw me, so I just pulled the lid the rest of the way off and brought out the whole pan for us all to finish. I'd left the 13x9 plastic lid in the oven and in less than 5 minutes it had completely melted into liquid!

The kitchen and house were rapidly filling with (toxic) smoke, so I ran around and opened doors and turned on fans and our exhaust fan. Then ran back to the oven -- still flaming. So I grabbed the baking soda and tossed it on the flames. That put them out, so then I called Bobby and confessed.

Anyway, the story has a happy ending. The oven rack was basically plastic-coated and I was certain it was ruined. But, with a utility knife, the plastic just peeled right off. It also came up from the bottom of the oven in big plastic chunks. The only thing permanently harmed is probably my poor brain. It's already pickled from all of the Diet Mt. Dew. The last thing it needs is toxic, burning plastic fumes, huh?

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3. This has been "my" spot for the last 4 years....

Bobby discovered YouTube.

I've been dethroned.

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4. Here are a couple of before and after pictures of our bathroom tiling that I mentioned months ago. Enjoy.

Well, suddenly Blogger won't download pictures...again. So that's it for now. I guess it was only 4 random things!

I've Been Tagged

This is the perfect post for today. I've been in with sick kids for two days following a a stressful weekend.

Thanks, Sara!

REVEAL A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF:

NOW

Is your hair up?: No

Is your phone right beside you?: No

Do you wish you were somewhere else?: I always love to travel - so, sure, where are we going? :)

Do you have plans for tonight?: No

Are you wearing makeup?: No

Are you wearing chapstick?: No. I need some desperately.

Are you cold?: No

Are you tired?: Yes, but I don't plan to go to sleep for a long time.

Are you watching t.v.? Yes, Dancing with the Stars

Are you wearing pajamas?: Yes

Who's the last person that IMed you?: Nobody - I don't IM.

Who's the last person that called you?: My Mom.

PAST

Anything you regret?: Gee.... I'm sure there are lots of things that I've said and done that I regret. Nothing specific pops to mind, though.

Ever stuck gum under a desk?: Ew, no.

Ever spit at someone?: Not the gross way.

Ever kick something living?: I've kicked Bobby under the table!

Ever had your nails done?: Yes

Ever thrown up because you cried so hard?: No.

LAST WEEK

Had any plans last week?: Nothing special.

Who did you see most last week?: The Kettlers

Was last week interesting?: I can't even remember. It seems so long ago.

TODAY

Have you cursed?: No.

Have you yelled at someone?: I've spoken sternly, but no yelling today.

Have you gotten mad at someone?: Nope.

Have you cried? No.

Have you seen the person you like? Yes, lots of them!!

Have you called more than 3 people?: Nope.

Have you IMed more than 3 people?: Nobody.

Have you eaten anything gross?: Just good stuff here....

SPILL YOUR GUTS

Q. First thing you did this morning?: Went in to help Chris with his coughing.

Q. Last thing you ate?: A grape, just now. Before that, a cookie.

Q. What's something you look forward to most in the next 6 weeks?: Halloween and Bobby's B-day.

Q. What's annoying you right now?: Chris won't stop asking me questions.

Q. What's the last movie you watched?: Just My Luck - it was cute.

Q. Do you believe in long distance relationships?: If there's no alternative - I think it would be tough.

Q Where is the last place you went?: Hibdon to pick up the van - new brakes.

Q: Who is the last person you called?: ???

Q: Been cheated on? No? I don't think so.

Q: Do you think that someone is thinking about you right now?: Maybe.

Q: Choose one to have (love, beauty, creativity): LOVE, definitely.

Q: Do you wish on stars?: No.

Q: Does it work?: Eh, I don't thonk so.

Q; Do you untie your shoes every time you take them off: Never.

Q: When did you last cry?: Saturday.

Q: Do you like your handwriting?: Sometimes.

Q: Are you a friendly person?: I try.

Q: Are you keeping a secret from the world?: No.

Q: Who's bed did you sleep in last friday night?: Mine.

Q: What color shirt are you wearing?: Ugly mustard yellow - a sleep shirt....poor Bobby.

Q: Do you have any pets?: No.

Q: What is the color of your bedsheets?: Green, tan and rose floral.

Q: What were you doing at 9 last night?: Watching a movie on my couch.

Q: Last person you talked to in person : Bobby.

Q: When is the last time you saw your dad?: The 30th of Sept.

Q: Look to your left: Chris leaning on me, Bobby and Emily on the couch, and the TV with the end of Dancing with the Stars.

Q: Ever cried yourself to sleep?: Yep.

Q: Ever cried on your friends shoulder?: Not in a long time.

Q: Are you a normally happy person?: Usually.

Q: Is your self-esteem low?: Sometimes.....

Q: What color are your eyes?: Green.

Q: Long or Short Hair : Just below my shoulders - growing it out.

Scary Weekend

Those of you who know me well (and I think those are the only ones who read this thing!) already know, but we've had a bit of a scare in the family this weekend.

I'm not going to go into all the details, because they are long and confusing, but my Grandma had a heart attack and today had bypass surgery. This is an awesome outcome. Just 2 days ago we weren't sure that she was going to live, so we are just so thankful and know that this is nothing but answered prayer. God is good all the time!

My parents and my Grandma were actually just here visiting us, for my birthday, a little more than a week ago, so I'll post pictures in the next day or so. We took a pretty good one of 4 generations of girls. : )

The Big 3-0

This is a quote by Andy Rooney from CBS 60 Minutes and I think it's perfect! Enjoy!

As I grow in age, I value women who are over 30 most of all. Here are just a few reasons why:
A woman over 30 will never wake you in the middle of the night to ask, What are you thinking? She doesn’t care what you think.
If a woman over 30 doesn’t want to watch the game, she doesn’t sit around whining about it. She does something she wants to do. And, it’s usually something more interesting.
A woman over 30 knows herself well enough to be assured in who she is, what she is, what she wants and from whom.
Few women past the age of 30 give a damn what you might think about her or what she’s doing.
Women over 30 are dignified. They seldom have a screaming match with you at the opera or in the middle of an expensive restaurant. Of course, if you deserve it, they won’t hesitate to shoot you, if they think they can get away with it.Older women are generous with praise, often undeserved. They know what it’s like to be unappreciated.
A woman over 30 has the self-assurance to introduce you to her women friends.
A younger woman with a man will often ignore even her best friend because she doesn’t trust the guy with other women.
Women over 30 couldn’t care less if you’re attracted to her friends because she knows her friends won’t betray her.
Women get psychic as they age. You never have to confess your sins to a woman over 30. They always know.
A woman over 30 looks good wearing bright red lipstick. This is not true of younger women.
Once you get past a wrinkle or two, a woman over 30 is far sexier than her younger counterpart.
Older women are forthright and honest. They’ll tell you right off if you are a jerk if you are acting like one!
You don’t ever have to wonder where you stand with her.
Yes, we praise women over 30 for a multitude of reasons!

Sacrifice

The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ from the Thief on the Cross Perspective - Music Video (3rd Day) I saw this video and just thought it was so good. I need reminded often exactly what (who) was sacrificed for me. Jesus did this for ME. (And YOU.) Sometimes it's so easy for me to get caught up in my petty little sahm life. Life is not about this world - this world is nothing - a mist. Please Lord, Help me to remember every moment that life is eternal. This is the commentary after the video: After Seeing the Price That Jesus Payed for the punishment of our sins - our prayer is that you Trust Jesus for Salvation and Forgivness of Sins Will you go to Heaven? Here's a quick test. Have you ever told a lie, stolen anything, or used God's name in vain? Jesus said, "Whoever looks upon a woman to lust after her has committed adultery already with her in his heart." Have you looked with lust? Will you be guilty on Judgment Day? If you have done those things God sees you as a lying, thieving, blasphemous, adulterer-at-heart. The Bible warns that if you are guilty you will end up in Hell. That's not God's will. He sent His Son to suffer and die on the cross for you. Jesus took your punishment upon Himself -"For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Then He rose from the dead and defeated death. Please, repent (turn from sin) today and trust in Jesus, and God will grant you everlasting life. Then read your Bible daily and obey it.

"Little Sprouts"

I hate, hate, HATE leaving my babies with people who don't know them or care about them. They're just another "kid" in the crowd. Sob.

I'll just torture myself with a couple of pictures. :)