Deputy Detector Detective

UPDATE: My dear husband found the chirping smoke detector.  It was, in fact, one that I had overlooked...the one in the basement.  Thanks, honey!

Detector Detective

It's that time of year again.  Snow is falling, noses are runny, hair is static filled, cars are caked with salt, and skies are gloomy.  And if your house is anything like mine, smoke detectors are beeping.  Yep, I admit, I did not heed the age old time-change rule of changing out the smoke detector batteries and now I'm paying for it.

The beeping started last week.  "I'll change the batteries tomorrow," I'd say to myself.  A week of tomorrows came and went.  Finally I could take the beeping chorus no longer.  So, armed with a chair and AA and 9V batteries, I went on a hunt to find the offending chirper.

About halfway into my mission of trying to figure out the offender, I realized that I should probably just go ahead and change the batteries in all the detectors. 

But there was one non-compliant detector.  I changed the batteries, performed the test by pressing the "test" button, and screwed it back on the ceiling.  No less than 30 seconds later the darn thing was beeping again.  "Huh," I thought.  "Must be old batteries.  I wonder how long these batteries sat on the store shelf."  So, I put 3 more "new" batteries in.  Same thing; beeping continued.  I decided to try a different strategy.  "Maybe the batteries in the top row near the front are older than the ones in the bottom row near the back," I reasoned.  After all, the batteries in the back must have been put in the pack AFTER the front ones, right?  Silly logic, I know.

Try three: My logic worked!  The beeping stopped.  But wait!  There was yet another one chirping somewhere else in the house.  Was it coming from upstairs or downstairs?  Which end of the house was it coming from?

I set out on my hunt, dutifully changing out all of the batteries.  The detectors mocked me, however, as I kept hearing a chirp.  If I was downstairs, the chirping appeared to be coming from upstairs, and vice versa.  If I was in the kitchen, the noise seemed to come from the spare room, and vice versa.  I felt like a maniac running around the house saying, "Aha, I got you now!" only to discover that the noise was coming from somewhere else.

Yesterday I was at my wit's end.  There HAD to be a detector I had missed.  And there was!  Somehow I had neglected to find the one in the laundry room.  Surely that had to be the one that was still chirping.  Nope.

I have yet to discover which one is still making that horrid noise.  Heck, maybe they're all in on it.  Maybe they are trying to drive me nuts.  Maybe they are making me paranoid...

Tonight I plan on trying a new tactic: take them all down and place them next to me on the bedroom floor.  Maybe I can determine which one is the bad one.  Either that or the house will burn down because all the detectors are in one room. 

So, think about me tonight as you are snuggled up in your bed.  I'll be armed with batteries and caffeine just waiting for one of those detectors to slip up and beep.  Muhahahaha!

Goodbye, Twenty Ten

To put a spin on Charles Dickens' quote, 2010 was the "worst of times, it was the best of times."

We truly are ringing in the new year at a very good time. 

My sweetheart is in Alabama tonight, so I'm indulging in my latest guilty pleasure: prison shows.  I don't know why I'm so facinated by watching about prison life, gangs, solitary confinement, etc.  Nevertheless, that's what I'll be doing.

Here's to a joyous 2011.

Happy New Year, loyal readers!

Merry Christmas to All...

...and to All a Good Night's Sleep (as said by Abby)

We had a very enjoyable Christmas this year.  The morning started a little late (about 9:00); poor Chip worked the night before and didn't get home until then.  I popped some cinnamon buns in the oven and then the kids came downstairs to see all the presents.  Then I cleaned, the kids played, and Chip slept.  We went out for our unconventional traditional Christmas dinner at Zhang's Chinese Buffet.  Yum!  We all needed an afternoon nap, and when we woke, we rode around and looked at Christmas lights.  Here are a few shots:

Wow!

My Princess!

Tired Daddy

Christmas Mayhem

Handsome Fellas

Ready for Battle

Going to Town

*This is just a reminder to ourselves (Chip and I) of the craziness from Christmas Eve.  Chip, realizing that Santa hadn't bought any gifts, went shopping at Toys 'R Us at 8:30 p.m. 

Before I Forget

Here are a couple of things Ab's said in the past couple of days that I don't want to forget:

"Mama, after we open our presents on Christmas can we go outside and make snow angels?"

"You do a really good job at all your jobs."

"When does God sleep?  When I get to Heaven I'll give God a night outfit."

"Okay, let me get this straight..."

"Can I have all those toys in the toy store?"  I replied, "Where would we keep all of them?  They wouldn't fit in our house."  Abby said, "Are you kidding?!  We have a reeeeeally big house.  They would all fit.  We could keep them in the basement.  Are you kidding?!  They would fit."

Overwhelmed

As I drove down Main Street the night before Thanksgiving my mind wandered.  I couldn't help but reflect on the past year and all that has happened since last Thanksgiving.  It got me to thinking how awesome this year has been and how AWESOME God's love and grace has been for my family.

I have to admit, however, that despite knowing God's awesome protection and provision, I found myself worrying over an impending event.  I mean I was very, very anxious.  Silly, Amanda.  Don't you know God takes care of you in ALL things?!

That's exactly what happend.  God took control of the situation and things turned out better than I could have ever hoped. 

God's goodness is overwhelming.  Totally overwhelming.

*sigh*

I have a problem.  I wasn't even aware of it.

Two weeks ago I was grocery shopping with the kids, and Abby was being her usual talkative self.  Oh, and she was trying to be a helper, too.  I don't know what she asked or what she grabbed for, but I said something to her.  I could have sworn I heard her sigh.  A woman near us said, "Whoa, I thought I had a good sigh."  I just laughed, and I thought, "Gee, Ab's sigh didn't sound that exaggerated."

A few days later we were at Abby's ballet class.  For the first time in months she told her teacher that she needed to go to the bathroom.  I was a little annoyed because Abby had just told me she didn't need to go to the potty.  I took her to the bathroom, William in tow, and helped her undress.  Then Abby looked at me and said, "Mama, why are you mad at me?"  I said, "I'm not mad at you, honey!  Why would you think that?"  She replied, "Because you said *sigh*."  She let out a long, exasperated sigh. 

It really astonished me because I truly did not notice that I sighed.  Maybe the woman in the grocery store was talking about my sigh.  I don't even think I'm aware of it anymore.  *SIGH*