The One Where They're Up All Night Remix

The saga continues. I'm really hoping for only a two-parter on this here subject rather than a trilogy. Because that's just plain wrong.

Let me give you a little glimpse into my smoke detector arrangement first. We have a one story, no basement, 1,448 square foot house. The layout is very open. We have 5 smoke detectors.

Count 'em. FIVE.

Seriously, any hint of smoke and fire department will hear our house beeping. No need to call 911.

Each bedroom has one. Which makes sense. The hall has two. They are 5 feet apart. Which doesn't make any sense.

The one in the master bedroom is on the ceiling. 10 feet above the ground. One of the hall detectors is on the ceiling. 15 feet above the ground.

Did the builder not know I'm terrified of heights? Did they know that I would be more annoyed with the beeping than to let my fear stop me from climbing that ladder?

We called the fire department yesterday with some questions. They told me that I need to clean each alarm with a can of compressed air and replace all 5 batteries. Once the battery is replaced, you have to reset the alarm. This means I had to dangle collectively 25 feet in the air with a can of air as my only hope of survival. My palms are still sweating. Which makes battery removal very tough. I had thoughts of Clark Griswald on the ladder hanging lights and falling backward into the bushes below.

That thought didn't last too long. Zoe, being incredibly helpful, likes to beat the bottom two steps on the ladder. When you're 15 feet in the air, it's like an earthquake. She apparently likes to hear mommy scream. Fortunately my mom was there to keep the little drummer far away from the ladder. (For the record, the man of the house was in school, unable to attend this little charade. He owes me big time. He knows it.)

I get all 5 done and they still chirped. I went back to the manual. Apparently these little spawns of Satan only take certain kinds of batteries. The Coppertop ones are not on the "approved" list. Who knew 9-volt batteries were different. We went back to the store to buy the super-expensive, guaranteed to last 10 years, approved ones. Which I could've fed my family for a week on the price of these bad boys.

Back up the ladder I went. With my batteries the same price as liquid gold and compressed air.

Still the chirping.

The manual then said to turn off power to the alarms, replace the batter, reset, then turn the hardwire power back on.

Third time up the ladder I went. If I thought my palms were sweaty on the first try, try the third try. I think I could've filled a pitcher with all that moisture.

Still more chirping. Now they're like talking to one another. A hall one will beep and a bedroom one will chirp twice. I'm pretty sure they're laughing at me.

We finally got in touch with an electrician. He's coming this morning. To troubleshoot.

We slept at my mom's house last night. Our house is not big enough for all of us.

The One Where They Were Up All Night

Sometimes I feel like my life imitates an episode of Friends. One of my favorite episodes is in Season 7 where they're up all night. Joey and Ross get stuck on the roof, Chandler and Monica either read or clean and Rachel and Tag go to the office to find some contracts.

The second best part of that episode is Phoebe. Her smoke detector keeps beeping and she destroys it. Only to discover that it keeps beeping or screaming at her, no matter what she does to it.

The look of anguish and frustration on her face is priceless.

Fast forward to this morning. It's 4:00 am, I'm peacefully sleeping. N is in the kitchen getting ready for work. Zoe is asleep in her room. Everything is as it should be.

Then I heard it. Faintly in my dreams at first. Then it slowly brought me to reality. A beeping that I couldn't identify. It wasn't anything in my bedroom, so I opened the hall door.

N was standing in the hall staring up. At the smoke detector.

It's been beeping once a minute since 4:00 am to let us know that the battery back-up is dying. My mom graciously brought over a 9-volt battery at 4:30 am since we have none on hand. I put the new power into the alarm and started walking back to my room.

Then it beeped again. And again. AND AGAIN.

I've tried everything. Reset buttons. Taking the battery out and putting it back in.

I even called N to see if he could offer anything. He knows nothing about the smoke detector world.

I pulled up the manual on-line to see if maybe I was missing something. Nope. This low, once-a-minute chirping indicates a low-battery. These alarms require hardwiring and batteries to work effectively. If it detects a weak link anywhere, it will beep constantly. For-ever.

This battery is weak. Not weak enough to stop a once-a-minute chirping sound. Oh no. It's like the Clark Kent of the comic world. All the power of Superman, but hidden behind the glasses. Or you know, hardwired power.

Zoe is totally unawares of all this. She's sleeping like a baby.

I'm off to make an entire pot of coffee.

Zechariah

These last 18 months have been full of many trials. Yet, among those trials were countless blessings. It was the blessings that got us through.

Tonight I was helping my mom with a lesson for her AWANA group. She's studying Luke 1 and the story of Zechariah.

He was a high priest. In the temple one day, the angel Gabriel came to visit him and told him he and his wife Elizabeth would have a son and they would name him John.

Zechariah was like, "dude, I'm old, so is my wife, you've got the wrong guy."

Gabriel said, "I'm not wrong, I stand with God, your wife is preggers. Because you doubted, you won't be able to speak. How do you like them apples?"

I'm paraphrasing, but I'm positive it was something like that.

It got me thinking about doubting. In the last 18 months I've done my fair share of doubting. Yet God has remained completely faithful. He's provided so much for my family, it doesn't seem like I'm worth any more of his blessings. Yet I know He loves me in a way I cannot comprehend.

I'm awestruck.

His blessings are unfathomable.

You gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to sign on the dotted line

Apparently on Mondays I like to make up my own lyrics to Kenny Rogers' songs.

I have no excuse other than this is, by far, one of the best weeks of my life. First off I won the Travis Cottrell Ring the Bells CD givaway on BooMama's blog. I'm beyond elated at this. I've been reading her and Big Mama rave about Travis and his vocal abilities. Now I get to experience them for myself. With Christmas music.

I don't think anything could be better than that.

It is, my friends. In a big way.

Yesterday, during a cut-throat game of Sorry with D & E, we got the call we've been waiting for since April 2007. We got an offer on the Puyallup house.

Not only is it a good offer, it's beyond anything we had ever hoped for.

N and I quickly signed on the offer's dotted line.

They want to close by November 21st. While we still have much to do before then and this could still fall through, we are one step closer to no longer having that house in our name.

God is good ALL the time.

Soccer Stars

Yesterday D and E had soccer games. It was cold enough to feel like winter, so I felt really bad for them.

Although with all that running, they really didn't complain about the cold. N, their cheerleader, was another story. I don't know if he ever thawed out.

As if we had any doubt, they both won their games. D had to bring snacks to her game. We put some Goldfish crackers, fruit roll ups and Capri Suns into black bags, decorated them with soccer stickers and tied a white ribbon to the top. She was a huge hit for snack day.

I thought I would include some action shots that our very own cheerleader got for them. N had to take his hand out of his pocket long enough to capture these. Risking frostbite. Whatta guy!

The other team looks a little surprised.
Defending her goal

Laundry in Bethlehem

Zoe is a big helper with laundry. She loves to take the clothes or towels out of the laundry basket and shake them out, like you would before folding.

Then she is also known to throw the clothes all over the floor.

It's really hit or miss between helpful and her own ideas.

This week she decided she would try something new. Wearing the laundered items.

I'm positive this is how Mary did laundry in Bethlehem.

The Friday Five Faves - vol. 15

This Friday Five Fave is a little hard for me. I've had my head in books all week.

Seriously, I think N might be planning an intervention soon. The Stephenie Meyer series is making me lose sleep, consuming my time.

You know what, I feel no remorse.

I'm a sucker for a romance.

In my single days I would buy 2-3 books a week and devour them. Some were fabulous (Kite Runner, Secret Life of Bees) and some were not so much my type of book.

Then, when I re-met N, I stopped reading and started focusing on us. Planning a wedding, moving, being a wife and mother. Life took over.

Then I had to study for work. I don't count that when I think of reading.

This is the first book (series of books) that has captured my attention since my single life. It's oddly exhilarating.

I'm on the final book now. Which roughly translates that I've read about 1,500 pages. Since Sunday.

I thought about posting my 5 favorite parts of the story or having 1-4 be the four books, but I didn't want to appear too addicted.

I guess it's too late for that.

I will get done with this book during the weekend and then next Friday I'll be back with an all new Five Fave.

Have a fabulous weekend!