The Construction Game

While our Thanksgiving Weekend activities were both many and adventurous (Daniel did buy new jeans after all!), none has been so advantageous as purchasing The Construction Game.

This knock-off of The Farming Game is fantastic! We've spent hours playing it just the two of us already. It's not just that our family has a partiality to all things construction, or that it has a partiality to all things competitive - it's that our family has a partiality to all things that are competitively construction-esque (think the "measuring game"). We're going to bring it home for Christmas so that the whole competitive construction-loving Johnson clan can try their hand at the world's latest gaming wonder.

Daniel Sings Ray Charles and Barney

Before his mission, Daniel had his wisdom teeth taken out - and his friends were kind enough to record his recovery. He is so proud of this moment in his life that he wanted it posted for all the world to see. Turn it up to get the best out of it!

"Meat I Shall Not Eat"

Sometimes Daniel gets a little bored while I'm at work all day, so we try to think up projects for him to do. We recently decided that our cooking utensil drawer (the one that holds ladles, scrapers, servers, wooded spoons, etc.) was way too crowded. After trying drawer separators to keep things organized (which they certainly did not) we thought we'd put some of the bigger utensils in a container on the counter next to the stove. The only container we had on hand was the cardboard oatmeal canister which worked perfectly size-wise but was ugly and was clearly an oatmeal canister as it sported pictures of oats. But Daniel, the fearlessly creative leader said, "Don't worry. I'll draw a picture on it."
I came home last night from work and, sure enough, he had drawn a picture on it: a cluster of little chicks with the title "Meat I Shall Not Eat" above them. He also said that, possibly, his next project will be an apron for me. This will have a chick as well, but it will state, "I Am Not a Nugget!"

"Maybe You Won't Kill All of Our Kids After All." - Daniel

The history behind the quote: When we first started dating, Daniel gave me a plant (his theory being that flowers die and are, therefore, a waste of money). I simply and swiftly killed it. In fact, I loved the plant to death. I watered it each time it looked a little wilted - it continued to look wilted and I continued to water it. It soon drowned. A few months later, Daniel gave me another plant. My mother (supposedly joking) said that it was probably my last chance if he was testing me to see if I would be able to keep children alive. I took great care of this second plant. I took it to college with me and it stayed in the dorm. Throughout the year it got smaller and smaller as parts of it died due to the little light that it received. By the beginning of my second year at college, it was only about a centimeter tall, at which point it finally gave up. Since Daniel was on his mission by this point, I mailed all that was left of the plant and promised him that it was no indication of the kind of mother I would be.
So this year for Daniel's birthday, I got him a plant. It's been thriving quite well in our sunny study where it sits by the window. I dutifully water it (but only twice a week as per the directions that came on the label). One day, Daniel went to examine the new blossoms. When he turned around, he tactfully said, "Maybe you won't kill all of our kids after all."
What a wonderfully loving, supportive, confident in my abilities husband I have.

Sleep-Talking

Last night, I decided to stay up and read my new book after Daniel went to sleep. After sufficient reading, I turned off the light. All of a sudden Daniel said, "That's a lot of nails."
Confused, I asked, "What?"
"That's a lot of nails," he repeated.
Realizing that he was asleep, I decided to give myself some entertainment and play along. "That is a lot of nails," I agreed. "What are you going to do with them?"
"They're for the toilet paper roll holder thingy," he matter-of-factly stated.
"I know that, but what are you going to do with the extras?"
"I dunno."
"You could use them to hang up the rest of the pictures."
"Hm." And all of a sudden he rolled away from me in what appeared to be frustration. Naturally, I began to giggle. I asked him if he was awake, he replied that he was, and we had the following conversation:
"Do you remember what we were just talking about?" I asked.
"Yeah, shadows."
"No." (suppressed laughter)
"Yes, there were lots of shadows because of the leftovers."
"You are so not awake."
"I am. Wide awake."
"No, you're not."
"Uh-huh."
"Ok. We'll talk about this in the morning."
"Yes, we will." And so I went to bed giggling to myself and thoroughly enjoying my night's mischief.

Tush-o

The newest and best-loved game in the Johnson household: Tush-o. The goal of the game is to smack the other's tush five times before they get your tush five times. Even with my strategy of standing with my back flat against the wall, Daniel has become the reigning champion with his new game-winning strategy: sitting on the floor and crab-walking at me. The last game resulted in both of us sitting on the kitchen floor kicking at each other and laughing hysterically. I definitely recommend this fun-loving game (although not to children: you shouldn't be smacking people).

"My Own Little Carnival"

Today being Sunday, and a rather uneventful Sunday at that, Daniel got a little bored. I looked over to see him sitting on the couch with his wedding ring suspended in the air over his finger. I watched for a minute as he repeatedly dropped his ring (apparently aiming for his finger). When he noticed me watching, he said, "It's like my own little carnival. Only it's free. But no big fuzzy prizes. And there are no clowns...those things are freaky." After my initial condemnation of the activity, he asked if I wanted to try. Upon second thought, and after actively participating in the "carnival" (music and all courtesy of Daniel), the game wasn't too bad. And after all, it was free.