After the holiday, this is how I spent my weekend.
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| The Run Chat Scavenger hunt has started and a trail marker is one of the pictures we had to get. |
Friday I did a short run on the rail trail with my sister. This run proved that I need to be getting back to the gym next month. I wasn't achy, just very tired.
I normally use Black Friday to stay home and decorate but later in the afternoon my husband decided he wanted to go shopping for more Christmas decorations. I resisted hard but eventually gave in because there is only so much whining you can take from a grown man,
We did not come home with any Christmas decoration (which I admit I am to blame for) but we did come home with a purchase from Best Buy (of course).
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| We have it sitting on an end table and it looks like it could be an air freshener. The lights only come on when she is "thinking" |
We got this Google Home thing. It's kind of like the Amazon Echo where you can ask it questions and such. IT IS SO ANNOYING. My husband sat around all day asking it stupid questions that no one would care to know, or he'd ask it simple questions like "what time is it" or "What is the temperature", things that I could quickly tell you just by looking at my phone.
However, I was trying to find some redeeming qualities about this gadget and I did like the fact that I can tell it to play an entire album from a certain artist. This was nice because I had lost one of my favorite CDs ( I know, who listens to CDs anymore) and now I can listen to it anytime I want. Also, we had fun playing trivia games with it (like 80's TV theme show music and regular Trivia). If you don't know the name of a song, you just have to say a few lines of the song (or tell what the song is about) and the device will find the song for you (and she's been pretty accurate). I call it a she because it's a women's voice.
Saturday, I got a bit more holiday decorations out, wrapped some gifts, and then watched the Brittany Murphy story on LMN. I've seen this story several times but every time it is on it just sucks me in (that and the Anna Nicole Smith story). So needless to say I just sat around the rest of the evening. I was at least trying to be productive and tried to make a photo book (of my dog) on Shutterfly. Why does Shutterfly have to be so complicated???? I've made plenty of Shutterfly books in years past and I don't remember it being this difficult.
Today we are going to attempt to decorate the outside of the house. My husband likes to go all out but I like to keep things simple because I remember that we will have to take it all down in January. And although it's 50 degrees now, it will be much colder when we have to take it all down. -M
Thanks to Holly and Tricia for hosting the Weekly Wrap!
That's so cool that you got a Google Home! I hope you grow to love it. Adam and I ordered two of them and are just waiting for them to arrive.
ReplyDeleteI think to make the Google Home really do some magic you have to pair it with other things. For instance, if you have a Nest thermometer you can say "okay Google, turn the a/c down to 72 degrees" or "ok google, turn the heater up to 72 degrees" depending on where a person lives during the winter haha!
You can also pair it with the Phillips Hue lighting system so that when you walk into your house you can say "okay google turn the lights on" or "okay google turn the bedroom lights on" etc.
You can also use an app that IFTT that allows you to create sequences. So you can say "okay google i'm home" and then it will turn on your lights, tv etc.
Without pairing it with third party apps, some cool things you can do is ask bad traffic is on your way to work, what your calendar for the day looks like etc.
We're trying to make our new house into a smart home so I'm super excited by all of this stuff! haha
Thank you for these suggestions. Yea, I knew you could sync it up to things in the home too and I think that is what we will try to do. We do have a whole house alarm where we can already control the lights and temp and stuff so I wonder how it will work with that. Good luck with your new home!
DeleteI'm thankful for these days off too - I really needed a break! Good for you guys for decorating - I am horrible at doing that (hope that doesn't make me a grinch). I'm also not super technically savvy, so I would probably not take full advantage of the Google home thing - though I can see some of the major advantages based on Kristina's comment. With all of those though, sounds like it could be seriously cool!
ReplyDeleteYea, i'm pretty sure it does even more than what we think it does. It just may take us a while to figure it out!
DeleteWe have never decorated the outside of our house, but Im sure its alot of work! Its tiring enough doing the stuff inside. That gadget sounds interesting but its amazing the ways we use technology these days. Hopefully you will figure out way to make it useful!
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to have some lights outside of the house. I like when my neighbors decorate too!
DeleteThat scavenger hunt sounds like a cool idea.
ReplyDeleteI usually don't shop on Black Friday but decorate instead. This year I worked :(
I planned on it yesterday but went out to the movies instead.
And today..still not motivated but got my photo cards made!
Did you make your cards through Shutterfly?
DeleteI kinda want that or the Echo, but I can't think of what I would use it for. I hope that all of your decorations went up well. I like to use the blow ups outside cause they are easy to put up and down and they take up a lot of space so it looks like you put up more then you did. :)
ReplyDeleteHaha, the blow ups sound like the way to good! We don't have any of them. I wonder why?
DeleteSigh. I didn't have any days off except Thanksgiving! It's all part of the fun of working in healthcare. I did get my tree up today--I'll do more decorating during the week.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you get days off during the week when the rest of us are at work, no?
DeleteI am SO lucky...my company closes all offices Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Of course, it will probably be a crazy tomorrow LOL I got both trees up last night with lights (so we could get a few family pics before the daughter left)...ornaments will happen later.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed your time off too!
DeleteI've enjoyed four days off but will pay dearly for it tomorrow. I love that you went out for decorations and came home with a new toy. My husband does not need to know about Google Home. It sounds right up his alley! Oooohhh...possible gift idea! My decorating is now complete, as we finished the outside this weekend. My middle son and I got so frustrated with replacing fuses though. Argh! Now I look forward to shopping and wrapping. NOT. Thanks for linking, Meranda.
ReplyDeleteYes, perhaps that is aa gift idea! I've been real good this year about wrapping gifts as I get them. I've never done that before!
DeleteI was grateful for some time off too! I don't think I would like that Google home thing either- sounds like a man toy! :)
ReplyDeleteYea, it's definitely a man toy but I've found some ways for it to be useful too!
DeleteWe'll never get one of those b/c my husband thinks they will be hacked, and who needs to know so much about you? He's already telling me the Chinese know my every move from my Fitbit. :-) I haven't started #RunChatHunt yet but did store the list on my phone. I might decorate next weekend ....
ReplyDeleteI'll need to download that runchat list too. Your husband is funny but he may be right!
DeleteI could definitely use something to help me ID a song just from some lyrics. What about the melody? If I can't remember the words, I'll know how it goes.
ReplyDeleteIt's really good at Id-ing songs. We described a song to her (not even using the lyrics) and she knew what it was!
DeleteMy husband (who still stubbornly has a flip phone) would freak out if I brought one of those home. He hates any kind of technology that could spy on him. I love my iPhone though and bet I would think that was a lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteHmm, I wonder if he's on to something thinking that technology is spying on him. I never thought of that!
DeleteThat Google Home thing is interesting! What can it do that a phone cannot do? It seems like phones could do all of those things? Make sure you post a pic once your Christmas lights are up! I have a few more to put up in the house today.
ReplyDeleteAs Kristina mentioned, it can sync up with other things around the home, and it is much faster than looking things up on your phone (which is not quite a selling point in my opinion), but I do like the whole music aspect of it. I'm sure as we use it we will find more useful uses for it.
DeleteI'm also doing the RunChatHunt. I love how it makes runs a little more exciting ;) A co-worker got the Amazon echo and had it delivered to work so we played with it for a day. I agree: it's a little annoying but I also love the music features.
ReplyDeleteYes, the music feature is great. I usually start the runchathunt but then I always find it difficult to get the last two items or so!
DeleteLaughing so hard about the Google Home thing. My husband bought the Alexa thing this weekend as well and sat around asking it dumb questions too! I just don't understand. Maybe it's a man thing because my dad loves his as well!
ReplyDeleteI love your little doggy wagon. I am just amaze that your dog stays in it, mine would be miserable. I am laughing because I can totally see my husband being just as annoying with the google home.
ReplyDeleteI had to laugh that a.) you went to buy Christmas decorations and came back with a Google Home and b.) your review. I've never used one but I think I'd be annoyed by it too!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a kid I always told my parents how hard I was going to decorate for holidays when I was a grownup with my own house. And now I know why they DIDN't go crazy with decorations. Because it is such a pain in the butt! I did find the perfect little nook for the Christmas tree & am excited to drink hot chocolate & decorate that while the MR. complains. Haha.
ReplyDelete"but eventually gave in because there is only so much whining you can take from a grown man," < this is so true!! and so funny!
ReplyDeleteThose devices sound so interesting, and funny at the same time. I hope your husband is enjoying playing with it!