Daphne's Diary

Savings for 2010

2010-12-19T05:14:00.000-08:00

I didnt do as well as keeping track as I had hoped for 2010. But I"m hopeful about 2011!! lol There were 3 months I did record & while I didnt do a lot, I know I did get some deals/savings. What I can account for is a savings of $469.00!! YAY!!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas & a Happy New Year!!

Nov 2

2010-11-02T17:28:00.000-07:00

Day 2 of blogging! I had a blog idea ready to go & of course I forgot it! So just thought I"d share a couple of things from my day.

Got up @ was at the voting place before 7 am..me, hubby, mom & dad! lol I'm sure we were quite a sight!

Today when Mom & I were out doing errands, a truck driver honked @ me! Hubby rolf when I told him! He said " There you go honey! You are 47 yrs old & they still honk @ you! roflrofl

Well, that's it for today! I was lazy for a big part of the day!

Trust in the Lord

2010-11-01T08:43:00.000-07:00

I love facebook! And I love the game Frontierville on facebook! My friend, Melinda, got me started on it. Her comment was " I love the missions. you do it & you're done" Well, I love it too! It gies you like 3 things to do to complete a mission & then you get your reward. I dont know how many times in my life I have said " I'm a woman on a mission" when I"m seriously trying to get something done.

I've heard many people say " If God would just tell me what to do I would do it". Well this weekend a light bulb went off for me! All these things Ive mentioned combined with one of my favorite verses from childhood finally congealed for me this weekend! The verse is Prov 3: 5 & 6 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart & lean not into thine own understanding, in all thy ways acknowledge him & he shall direct thy path." ( I hope that's accurate..I did it from memory)

Probablly since I"ve been playing Frontierville so much I see everything as if I was playing there game! lol I'm seeing weeds to pull in my yard that I hadnt noticed before & every tree I see I"m thinking I should chop it down! lol So, when this verse came to mind this weekend, it came in mission form:

Trust in the Lord with all thy heart

Lean not into thine own understanding

In all they ways acknowledge Him

(then the reward) And He shall direct they path.

That was SO cool to me! And it's really come to life for me. I hadnt realized how much I am carrying burdens around..like hundreds of things! Every time I start to fuss about something, now, I remind myself to Trust in the Lord. Everytime I think about how I'm going to "fix" something I now remember my mission of "lean not intho thine onw understanding" I"m working on " In all thy ways acknowledge him" Not sure exactly how to implement that into every minute of the day..but working on it.

Anyway, for me, this is very exciting. And so exciting to know that He is directing! WOO HOO!

Men's 10 must have clothing items-Guest blogger

2010-03-24T18:06:00.000-07:00

Well, once again, hubby has agreed to blog. Again, I have a disclaimer...the thoughts & postings of the guest does not neccessarily reflect that of the blog owner! ROFLROFL. Without further ado...HEEERRRRRREEEEEE'SSSSSS Hubby!

10 Pieces of Clothing Ever Man Needs to Own
In response to Oprah's '10 (actually 12, guess she ain't smarter than a 5th grader) Pieces of Clothing Every Woman Should Own' I now offically fill in the lost data for the guy side of the equation. These are not 10 articles of clothing but 10 types with quantities because mine is a compelte list, unlike Oprahs (she forgot my first item for women).

1. Underware - at least 4 pairs, preferable 10, whoever can pick the type (thongs not included)
2. Socks - All the same style and color (black or dark grey is best), 5 pairs preferable 10
3. Jeans - 2 pairs
4. Tennis/Running/whatever shoes - You know what I mean, particular variety is your choice (see how easy I am to get along with?)
5. Casual shirts - 2 minimum. In my opinion the best are the 3 button, collared pullover with a pocket in the front. You would be amazed at what fits in that pocket. I am sure a woman did because a baby bottle is a perfect fit.
6. Dress Shoes - 1 pair, black (goes with all men's colors, which admittedly are very limited)
7. Work clothes - 3 sets - This will highly depend on what you do so is not specific. I would suggest 5 sets to get you through the week. Ask you launderer for advice and follow it if this is the wife.
8. Suit Coat - 1, black or dark blue - good for all ocassions, even weddings (no idea why)
9. T-shirt - white so it can be bleached. You can probably get away with just 1 here.
10. Tie - 1 (no getting around it). Go for black if only one, or maybe red. I don't care what Donald Trump wears, pink is not an acceptable color for any healthy American all-male man. Trust me on this.

Ok, there it is, the complete wardrobe set of clothes needed by a man. Remember, this is NEED. Extras make laundary times farther apart but larger to do. And any "special" clothing is strickly your own business, not mine.

A book reveiw

2010-03-17T07:37:00.000-07:00

Robyn Okrant wrote a book called Living Oprah. She dedicated 1 year of her life to do all things Oprah said to do. So watched every episode aired even if it was a re run. I found the book fascinating.For the year she spent $4,781.84 & in time she spent 1202 hours & 1 min! And that's not the time to write the book.

I learned a lot from the book & it had me rolling with laughter! I'm not a huge Oprah fan but I totally enjoyed the book. My family who is not Oprah fans loved when I would read excerpts to them from the book. Matter-of-fact, the next post on this blog will be from hubby ( remember, he thinks hes a comedian) who has his take on one section of the book.

In one episode Oprah talked about the 10 must haves for your (women) wardrobe. Hubby will be telling his 10 must haves for men & their wardrobes. The author's journey of obtaining her 10 must haves had me rofl!

Besides the enjoyment factor, the book had a big impact on me. It gave me an "aha" moment! If this woman could follow Oprah's advice ( a woman she had never personally met) then why, oh why, can I not ( or would not) follow the advice of the Dr I trust & whom I pay money to for his advice.

And to take it farther, God gave us His instructions in the Bible. Did I think I try to live God's way before I read this book? Yes! Has my thinking on this changed since reading Robyn's book? YES! Do I truly pray without ceasing? Nope! Do I put others 1st? I think I do..but in a post someone sent me the other day I realized I am not as humble as I thought I was! So, thanks to this secular book, my eyes have opened better to my spiritual walk with God.

So, the changes in my life since reading this book has been to follow my dr's advice much more closely..it's still a struggle though...and to TRULY implement God's Word in my life in a way that I may have never done before. The verse that has been going thru my mind this week when I struggle with ( for example) taking my vitamins, is the verse in James that says To him that knoweth to do good & does it not, to him it is sin.

Thank you, Lord for the things you use to draw me closer to you.

Mernard's trip

2010-03-05T09:06:00.000-08:00

Went to Menard's this morning. Bought 3 "snuggie" type things for Christmas presents. Also bought a t shirt for one of the kiddos. Bought 4 packs of batteries. My total was $21.26...saving $18.41!! YIPPEE! And there is a rebate for the batteries so that will be a savings of $8 more!! Loving it!!

End of the month

2010-01-27T18:17:00.000-08:00

My month is ending early! lol I leave in the morning for 3 days of scrapbooking! YIPPEE!

This week was full of people being sick...not me-not yet anyway!

When I get back it will be hubby's birthday. Sunday will be busy just catching up & getting ready for the new week & the new month!

Sunday update

2010-01-24T10:43:00.000-08:00

I saved $6.08 in coupons @ Walmart yesterday. We filled a grocery cart there for $139. Dale was pleased, so yay! I'm thinking there could have been ways to do better, but I guess it's all baby steps!

I read a book ( from the library) called Jenna's Cowboy Hero by Brenda Minton. I didnt know til after I read it that this was a series & I missed book 1. So, if you are going to try this start with A Cowboy's Heart by Brenda Minton. This book probably wasnt the best written book I"ve ever read, but I loved the characters & the story! I will prob read the 1st book.

Today is the Colt's AFC Championship game! YIPPEE! GO COlLTS!

Our oldest & his wife will be hainvg dinner with us after the game tonight.

I spent 15 minutes clipping coupons yesterday. What 15 min did you do to bless your household financially?

Touching Base

2010-01-21T09:50:00.001-08:00

I really havent done much this week. Wiht the 3 day weekend & hubby sick I just havent done much.

I did continue decluttinering the computer room. That's my room of focus for Jan.

I have printed some coupons, did a survey online, received a survey in the mail that I need to do & received some coupons.

I havent been sleeping much so I got 2 library books read this week! Both by Karen Kingsbury. Sarah's song & A Time to Embrace. I loved them both! Sarah's song probably spoke to me more. It had a verse from Proverbs that says " Above all else, guard your heart" That has been my verse for the week.

I havent put any savings down for using the library. Wasnt sure how to do that. But it seems it should go under some kind of savings! lol What do you think?

Jan 11 week in review

2010-01-16T11:08:00.000-08:00

Well, I wasnt as good @ posting every day like I had hoped!

Besides the party & the Meijer trip the other thing that happened was we save $50 on auto repairs. I really dont know why, they just knocked $50 off. They told me why, but it didnt make sense. I just said "ok, thanks!" lol They did awesome work & they treated us like royalty!

The other "savings" came in the mail this week in forms of freebies.--got a freebie of Stacy's pita chips-1 0z bag. We havent tried it yet though.

My family ( including adult children who dont live here anymore! lol) are already enjoying things from yesterday's Meijer's trip.

Got a coupon in the mail from vocalpoint.com

The things I did this week that could bring benefits in the future are:

posted my 1st post to kijiji.com--boys clothes for $10. I have no idea what i"m doing so I"m starting out small there.

took a cvs survey to get a coupon for $5 off a $30 purchase.

ordered more samples/freebies

Did Publishers Clearing House

Did cheerios.com

signed up for Psst at GeneralMills.com

signed up for Bzzgent.com

did Inbox Dollars

signed up for whymilk.com

Mypoints

swagbucks.com

My Meijer trip

2010-01-15T09:53:00.000-08:00

WOO HOO! Thank you to everyone who shared Meijer's sales & where to get coupons!
I did take a picture, but my camera is acting up so I dont know yet if I got the picture. Will have to have hubby's help with that later this weekend.

Here is what I bought:

10 bages of Dale's bagged salads
2 boxes of Jolly Green Giant vegetables-frozen
3 8 oz Del Monte fruit naturals
1 box of Pillsbury toaster streudals
4 Betty Crocker Warm Delights
1 8 ct box of Lance cracker-variety pack

I spent $3.98!! YIPPEE! Total savings $40.88!!! YAY!!!

Birthdays

2010-01-10T16:11:00.000-08:00

My 4 grand-nephews all have bdays within 6 weeks of each other. So, thru the years we have decided to do 1 BIG party for them. So, today was the day! YIPPEE! We went to the Incredible Pizza Company! They did an awesome job for us! We had our own party room & hostess. She helped us @ the buffet tables getting everyone's food too! They played 2 games with the kiddos with the prize being tickest to redeem for prizes! The 2 youngest ones got a lot of tickets! Plus they got to spend this wheel & 3 of them got 50 tickets while 1 got to do an extra activity..I think he picked go carts! He just turned 10 & the place lets 10 yr olds drive them! lol Also, for being their birthday they each got an additional 100 tickets!

They were so kind to us. I had ordered gift bags for them not realizing they came for each birthday boy. So, they deducted it from our bill without me asking..they just let me know they did that. Also, they had given us $15 off for booking online. ( which is why I booked online!) The were totally & aboslutely wonderful! I would happily go back there for a party, but in recent years, I've tried not to go back to the same place twice. We try to make it new & exciting every year!

As far as saving money today, all I have done is my Inbox Dollars & ordering pictures from Snapfish. Since this was my 1st time to order with them, they gave me 20 4x6 prints free. Thru tomorrow they have 50 4x6 pics pics for 50 cents. So, I got 70 prints for 50cents plus shipping..my total was $5.26 & I saved $5.80! WOO HOO! I love where I save more than I spend! lol

Mail Call

2010-01-09T17:21:00.000-08:00

With the weather the way its been the last few days, noone has gotten the mail! Our mailbox was positively stuffed when I went out this morning! YIPPEE!

Here's what arrived:

Those 4 towels that I got for a total of $4.04 saving over $26! YIPPEE! And they are fabulous looking!

A stayfree sample I ordered

A Hellman's sample that I dont remember ordering & it came with coupons & info on a contest!

Some picture magnets that I ordered for my beloved sister-in-love..a got 3 mini ones for me!

A Burger King Coupon booklet

8 coupons from Farmland foods that they said I requested.

I only did a few things towards finances. I entered the All you contest, did my Inbox dollar e mail & did 1 survey for zoom points, getting 50 points for it! YIPPEE!

Did a little cleaning & spent time with different family members today.

Thankful for a good night's sleep

2010-01-08T16:11:00.000-08:00

WOW! I slept 11 hours last night! I didnt know I was so tired! It did help me feel better today & I was more productive! Got some laundry, dishes & cleaning done! YIPPEE! I also did get the photos ordered & saved $5.80 in the process. If anyone wants to see if the offer is still open go to winkflash. If you are signing up for the 1st time, the code is 50free. You will get 50 4x6 pictures for the hsipping price of 99 cents!

I checked out jitterbug.com today re cell phones & decided it wasnt for us. It sounds nice, but we need lots of minutes! lol I renewed my library books online so no fines there! YAY! I entered the Publishers Clearing house sweepstakes, the Allyou contest & the cheerios sweepstakes.

I signed up for some free samples, printed some coupons, did my inboxdollars & started checking out the CVS deals for next week. I didnt get very far there.

In case you didnt know, most companies like you booking your party/event online, to the point they are giving discounts if you do that. We are having a party coming up. I went in to check things out, get the info & came home to book online. I didnt find a place to get the discount. When they called last night to verify I asked about it & she laughed & said she had just deducted that for me. It was a savings of $15! She said that eventually they will give their customers a code, but for now they do it manually. So, we all should check to see if there are discounts by doing things online.

One of the blogs I follow ( and I forgot to write down whose! I"ll try to get better on that) shared some codes for Redbox. If you arent familiar with Redbox, message me & I"ll try to fill you in.
Anyway, here are some codes for getting one night free. If you want to use more than one code @ a time, you have to do a different transaction using a different credit card. I dont know how long these codes will be good for.

ABTS25

SNSV25

ACME25

DVDONME

BREAKROOM

Oh, and I called around & I think found my medicine! YAY! The manufacturer is having trouble getting the ingredients to make it. This has been a problem since @ least August.

Life

2010-01-07T16:05:00.000-08:00

Well, I already knew that when life gets stressful I spend money! ugh! Or rather, I"m not frugal when spending during times of stress. I was doing "ok" til Tuesday afternoon when Mom was in a car accident. I dont believ I have "saved" a dime since then. But, that's ok. Just proves that it's important to keep plugging away so when crisis happen there is a cushion.

Today I did a little towards finances for the future. I entered the Publisher Clearing house sweepstakes, the Subway sweepstakes & the All You sweepstakes. I printed a few coupons for free products & I took 2 surveys. I found a place to get 50 pictures printed for free...just spend 99 cents in shipping. So hope to do that tonight or tomorrow.

So, the 1st full week of the New Year has been quite a week so far! I am still trying to get over bronchitis, Mother's accident, a "winter storm", and a few other things has made this anything but a boring week! lol I should be getting used to it. The 1st week in "07 Dale had a car accident totaling his truck...Mother's car is repairable.

Monday

2010-01-04T17:47:00.000-08:00

I'm still fighting bronchitis so I took it easy today & didnt venture out of the house. I did work on things that should help us in the future.

I requested samples, printed coupons, did my points, entered contests & checked out blogs for more ideas.

I found this site www.dltk-cards.com that has printable calendars for kids.

My mom did go out twice today to get us refills on our drinks, so we saved there. Mom is asleep now so I cant get the exact savings..will have to do that tomorrow.

Also, I realized on our movies last night we would have spent $9 to rent them, but 1 was from the library ( our oldest got it for us) and the other was owned by our youngest. So, yippee!!

Americans Pay More for Less

2010-01-03T16:14:00.000-08:00

I didnt really have anything to say today, so we're having a guest blogger! My beloved hubby! He was sharing these thoughts with me today & I thought they were interesting...so take it away, honey! lol

Somehow Americans have been convinced to pay the same or more for items that have less in them. For example, we pay $1.50 for a can of soda that has no more calories than water. This is epidemic in most all foods from "lite" cheeses, sour cream, to non-fat yogurt, to soups advertised as only having 85 calories. We must be trying to starve ourselves to death. Its the only thing I can think of.

This affects more than our food. We play sports, such as golf & bowling, whose goal is to have the least amount particiaption possible. The greatest golf game in the world would only have 18 strokes, instead of the normal 80 or 90. we pay more money for little, sports cars that weigh almost nothing. And people buy clothes with so little fabric that they dont even cover up the skin.

Ok, maybe I"m just old-fashioned. I like my food full of calories, my golf games long & clothes that actually hide me. I'll be easy to spot. I'll be the fat, golfer who everyone is waiting on.

Jan 2 post

2010-01-03T05:20:00.000-08:00

I'm starting the New Year out being sick! ugh! I didnt do much. One of my daughter-in-laws spent the day with me and we were just very low-key since we were both under the weather.

I did read, from start to finish, Karen Kingsbury's book A Time to Dance! I loved it! I was very discouraged about some things & it was full of hope.

The only savings was on some hamburger we needed. It was on sale. We saved $1.39 on the 2 lbs we bought.

Jan 1 post

2010-01-01T22:40:00.000-08:00

lol..I"m already late in posting what I wanted to! lol

I got up 1st thing this morning & started looking threw the e's & blogs I subscribe to to work on my couponing/bargains, etc. I got a great deal! Kohls.com was having a sale on Christmas towels. I think they were hand towels. They were reularly $5.00 marked down to $1.19. Then there was a code for 20% off & a code for free shipping. I ordered 4 towels in anticipation of next years teachers presents. My grand total spent was $4.04!! I saved $26.20!! YIPPEE! My 1st savings in the new year!

End of the year

2009-12-27T17:25:00.001-08:00

I am so looking forward to a new year. I hope to blog more. I am hoping for lots of moving forward in the new year and in the new decade.

Hope you like the new look to my blog. My beloved neice, Jax, did it for me!

I didnt get all the books read in '09 that I had wanted to, but I did get some. Here are the ones I got read:

Maggie's Miracle
Take One book 1 & 2
Shades of Blue
Like Dandelion Dust
Where Do I Go?
Who do I talk to?
Mr Bentley's Second Chance

This year gave me a new love for getting bargains/saving money. Jax was kind enough to get a ticker up for me to track what I save in the new year. I hope to blog about the savings as I go. I got 2 new coupong holders for Christmas to help me with the endeavor!

Hope to follow more blogs this year & make new friends in blog land!

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you enjoy the last few days of the year & the decade!

Shades of Blue

2009-11-15T05:38:00.000-08:00

I finished Karen Kingsbury's book Shades of Blue! It was very good! Cant wait for her Book 3 in The Line Above Series!

www.alice.com

2009-09-27T14:56:00.000-07:00

I've never heard of this before & I don't understand exactly how it works yet, but it looks cool! Check it out!

Thrifty & Chic Mom

2009-09-26T19:05:00.000-07:00

If you go over to www.thriftyandchicmom.com you can read about a free website to send e cards. I have already sent a halloween card from there to my niece!! Anyway, Got free cards is giving one thrifty & chic mom reader a $15 Amazon Gift card. This ends 10/3 @ midnight. Check it out!

Historical Fiction

2009-03-25T07:38:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid I read 1 historical fiction book..and hated it. Haven't read any since then...until this week. My Dad loves historical fiction & started reading a series by Bodie & Brock Thoene ( pronounced Tay-nee) called the AD Chronicles. He wanted me to read them too. I thought "ok, I"ll read one for him" I was hooked just reading the prologue!! WOO HOO!

And I just found out that Janette Oke is co-authoring a historical fiction series. Book 1 just came out! YIPPEE! My reading wish list just expanded by like 10 books! lol

A new experience

2009-03-12T18:35:00.000-07:00

As you all know, I"m an "older mom" Our 2 boys are raised & we are helping out with some of my brother's grandchildren. I am constantly amazed @ the changes since our boys were small. Today the youngest one & I went to Meijer's. I looked for one of those children's carts that stores sometimes have. lol Was I in for a surprise!! Yes, they have them..they had 7 of them in different colors. But here is the surprise..they have tv's in them! ROFLROFL They cost $1 & the money goes to the local children's hospitals. The little guy loved it! He picked the cart that would be showing Backyardigans! It was histerical! He was all smiles & would lean out the car to tell me what was going on on the tv! lol

Socks & thankfulness

2009-01-21T13:24:00.000-08:00

Today I spent part of the day matching socks..mostly because I was out of matched socks for almost everyone! lol But while I searched for those matches I was able to pray for the different owners of those socks. It's been a long time since I've had opportunity to do that ( hence why I've prob had no socks! lol) It was a blessed time & now everyone has enough matched socks for @ least a week! WOO HOO! Another thing to be thankful for! lol

Happy New Year

2009-01-01T05:37:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!

I am so excited about a new year! WOO HOO!

Dale has been wanting for years to go downtown to celebrate the New Year...just the 2 of us. So, we finally did it! He got us a package ( we didnt stay downtown..rooms were $400 for that night) that included 4 bands, a comedian & fantasy Vegas. When we got down there we found out all the restaurants had been by reservation, but they found room for us! YAY! It was a lovely buffer...pretty pricey, but they had seafood & prime rib & cheesecakes, so that's probably why!

We started out with the gaming tables. He didnt understand @ first that the tables were free & I think he was worried about money! lol When I said " Oh, honey, if it's not free, I"m not playing" he relaxed! lol

The comdedian had great comedic timing..his show was about 40 min..the last 20 min or so the jokes got pretty bad.

We ran into someone that Dale works with so that was fun.

About 11 we got hungry and found a place to grab pizza. Then we got our coats ready & stood on the near outskirts of the crow waiting for the new year to come in. Then thousands of balloons dropped on us! It was a weird feeling to see all these balloons coming @ you from us so high! The noise when they landed was phenomenla...Dale thought they were popping from all the noise. It looked to me like people were going around popping them. Employees were there trying to pick balloons up as fast as they could.

It was an experience that I"m glad we did, especially since Dale had wanted to for so long. He doesnt think he wants to do it again though. It got hot upstairs & it was so noisy downstairs that you couldnt talk.

What things have you been wanting to do that you haven't? Take your opportunity in 2009! I'm trying to see what else we can do that Dale has been wanting to do.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Goodbye Summer....

2008-08-31T14:31:00.000-07:00

September is upon us! I love September! I love fall! So as we head into my favorite season ( hubby says I love every season lol) I thought I”d reflect on the summer. It was such a busy time! I loved it though! Lol

Summer found the wedding plans for our oldest son in full swing!

June was the bridal shower. She got such lovely things! She was so excited & couldn’t wait to show the groom to be! The big gift of the day was from her family..an awesome vacuum cleaner!
As the big day approached it was so exciting as out-of-towners began to arrive! I knew it would be awesome but I wasn’t fully prepared for the amazing time it would truly be!
The rehearsal was @ her grandparents. It was SO beautiful. Then the rehearsal dinner was held @ the local country club. It was SUCH a relaxing time for all!

The July wedding was amazing. It was so awesome to see all the people who came to celebrate. And so many people rallied around to help when there was any kind of glitch. When there was a problem with the dress a friend of a friend of the bride’s stepped in one week before the wedding & made the dress perfect! It turned out she was my elementary school teacher! When rain came the night before the wedding, numerous people rallied to get everything moved from her grandparents home into 2 churches..one for the ceremony & one for the reception. It was such a blessing to see so many people help. No one grumbled or complained. It was such an awesome thing to experience. When my hair plans fell thru someone rallied to help me…my son said I looked like Audrey Hepburn!! That made my whole weekend! Lol
Our oldest moved into their new home 9 days before the wedding..so it was busy @ our house with getting him moved out & moving our youngest son up to the oldest one’s old room. They frequently asked my husband how we ever got some of this stuff in the house ( the kids have lied here their whole lives! ) So getting some things out of here proved interesting! Lots of doors were off their hinges!! Lol

My new daughter-in-law was pretty much our son’s 1st girlfriend. ( he follows in his father’s footsteps! Lol) So last fall when I was sure where this was going, I prayed, “ Lord, please let these 2 get married before the youngest get’s his 1st girlfriend.” We-elll, I almost got my prayer! Lol 23 days before the wedding…lol…you know where this is going right??? Lol 23 days before the wedding he got a girlfriend. Lol She is a sweetie & we’re so glad to be getting to know her…and our son is totally gone about her. So, I’m thinking he will follow in his father’s footsteps too! Lol Hopefully though it won’t be for a few years…

WE got to pick up the newlyweds as they returned from their honeymoon. There were some people there to greet a convention coming to town, so I told them about our son & his wife arriving & they agreed to help us greet them! The look on my son’s face when a whole crowd of strangers cheered & applauded them as they came thru the “gate” was priceless! Lol We then got to have dinner with them & then see them open their wedding presents! The generosity shown to them was just amazing!

I hope to be able to post some pictures soon.

Summer also was a busy time with my nephews. We had “Camp Aunt Suzie” as often as their busy schedules would allow! I had a great time trying every week to surprise them with something new..especially in our backyard. They were thrilled one weekend to go to the backyard to find a swingset! And another time to find the old sandboxes had been cleaned out & replaced with fresh sand! They loved finding a triple slip N slide! I think the 2 biggest hits were the inflatable swimming pool with a slide and 4 rubbermaid rough n ready containers that they could each fit their bodies in! lol They called them their outside bathtubs.
Many hours were spent bike riding in the parking lot behind our home. When our youngest donated a skateboard & a scooter to Camp Aunt Suzie there were many cheers & clapping from the little ones!

Eating, of course, is a must with little ones! We did a few trips to Pizza Hut but mostly ate @ home. Their favorite thing to have is “ the food tray” lol It is a muffin tin full of a variety of food!
Other activities this summer were : washing bikes, squirt guns, sidewalk chalk, hopscotch, walks, drawing, puzzles, dvd’s, a min trampoline, video games, leegos, silly string, art time, reading, jarts,water balloons, bubbles, cathing butterflies/bugs, playing in a tent in the backyard, basketball, baseball ( with me on a team by myself against 4 kiddos! Lol) several different parks & a trip to the toy store! I also got to take the youngest 1 time to the waterpark.

Two weeks to the day after the wedding, my grandmother passed away. She was 94. It was sad. Our oldest struggled as he was very close to her. When he was 2 yrs old he told her he wanted her @ his wedding. She told him she wouldn’t still be here. I told her she might..her mother lived to be 96. Anyway, she was still on this earth, but in no shape to make the wedding. I was so thankful she didn’t pass til after the wedding. So, both of our sons had the privelege of being pallbearers for her.

She passed the day before our youngest son turned 19. Whew! Can we say “hectic” at our house?? lol

Three weeks later brought Gencon to Indianapolis. I blogged some about that already. Day 2 I didn’t do much other than make a foam sword. Day 3 our son & his wife joined us. She & I played Munchkin, Monopoly, Eucher & Redneck Life! Lol We also walked the convention hall with our hubbies. We ended up being euchre partners for a time & making it to the head table to dethrone the team that had been there for quite some time! Then we were promptly dethroned! Lol But it was fun. The sad thing that day was she got a call that her foster mother had passed away that morning. So she was very sad. I’m so thankful the foster mother was able to make the wedding 5 weeks earlier.

So, school has started & I’m on my 18th year of homeschooling. I have one little one this year. God is in control & knows the future, but to this human being it appears this will be my last year of homeschooling…

So, it’s been an awesome summer with the normal ups & downs of life…but that’s what makes it life, right? And God encourages us to choose life! Hubby thinks sometimes we have a little too much life around here! Lol j/k And now we head into fall! I know fall isn’t til Sept 21..but as far as I’m concerned it starts tomorrow! Lol And to get a head start today, the kiddos bobbed for apples! They loved it! WOO HOO! Fall here we come!

A Day of Firsts

2008-08-14T19:29:00.000-07:00

Today was my first day at my first Gen-Con! Gen-Con is a big gaming convention held here every year...but it's way more than that! lol

We had not pre-ordered tickets, so we were on lines for 90 minutes getting our tickets. But then we got on our way. The 1st thing I did was play Uno. The gal running the game had perfected a version of Uno combining rules from all over the world. The biggest rule change for me was if someone plays a red 3 & you have a red 3, you can play it right away even if it's not your turn! lol That was fun.

Then I walked around the exhibit hall a little & had lunch. Then made my way to was the beading class for SPA's were held. SPa's are what they call spouses of gamers! lol There were a dozen of us. It was fun. There was a gal from Illinois, a gal from Ohio, a gal from St Louis & a gal from Maryland.

Another 1st for me was beading! I had never done it! It was fun. I made 2 bracelets that I will be giving as Christmas gifts.

After that 2 hour class I walked to where Dale had an hour left of a game...then we had dinner & signed up for our slots for tomorrow. They are having an 8 hour Survivor game that I wanted to join, but it was all filled up..maybe next year!

My 1st thing tomorrow is 9-11..a walking tour of our city with the SPA's...we will see if we get there in time..Dale is still down playing games & this game doesnt end til 1. We slept in today & didnt get down there til 10.

Well, just wanted to share my day of firsts!

Winnings

2008-07-15T19:04:00.001-07:00

WOO HOO! I love winning! lol And savings of any kind is winning, right?

So for this week so far, here is the scoop!

For June I won the drawing from A-Z Kidstuff. It was a dvd about spiders! The little one will love it!

Freebies4Mom told me about the contest @ lipton..I won a $25 gift certificate!

Someone ( wish I could remember who) Told me about USABaby. Check to see if you have one near you. Each state gives away something different for singing up with them. Our state gave me a $25 gift coupon! WOO HOO!!

When I was telling James about all of this today he said, " Oh, you got a phone call. You won a laser hair removal or something" WOO HOO! I will call them tomorrow!

PTL! What wonderful blessings this week!

And another " winning"...our airconditioner went out! But it only cost $85 to fix it..it could have been so much more!!

Search Engines

2008-06-25T19:04:00.000-07:00

I was told about some search enignes that you can earn points & redeem them for items. I just signed up for one of them...it is www.mysearchbonus.com If you sign up using this link, I"ll get some points too!! WOO HOO! Can we say " working on Christmas gifts"? lol If I earn gift cards I hope to use them as teacher gifts & stocking stuffers!

There are 2 more I plan to check out. I found out about these from www.moneysavingmethods.com.

One is blingo..go here to sign up: http://www.blingo.com/signup?ref=0aNUmvlR5XJ9GtkYVcoh38rPSjQ

The other is Swagbucks. Click here to sign up: http://swagbucks.prodege.com/?cmd=sb-register&cmp=3&cxid=11111-&rb=91395

Well, that's all for now! Boy, I've missed blogging!

Frugal week of 4/27

2008-05-03T19:00:00.001-07:00

Not very much happened in the way of frugality this week!! I don't even know where the week went!

The giveaways I participated in were:
Bliss bar @ Freebies 4 Mom
www.allure.com/freestuff

The samples I received this week were:

Kashi Granola ( gave it to JM..havent heard what he thought of it)
Diabetic info
Mineral Power from Maybelline
Dove shampoo & conditioner from Costco
a sippy cup from juicyjuice.com

I didnt do any surveys tis week..sigh.

Week 4/20--Frugal

2008-04-26T20:38:00.000-07:00

We tried Redbox for the 1st time tonight! It was fun! lol Got Dale a movie for free since I had a code.

For sweeps this week I entered www.hormel.com. www.key.com/win is for entering for a scholarship. You can enter monthly I think it said. I also entered ones I"ve previously menitoned. I did quite a few entries in the Bloggy Canrival! I loved it! They have another one in July. I hope to offer a prize the next time.

I ordered some free samples from www.freshairechoicepaint.com/contact.html I ordered them on Monday & had them by Fri! They are awesome! I am going to let the little ones paint the garage with them. ( We're redoing the garage hopefully this summer.

I did surveys for Harris Poll & for Global test market. Oh & for a cerela company..but I can't remember what company I did it for! lol

Dale is really getting into this savings thing! lol He plays a game online for which we pay for ( which is totally fine with me) In the game you get play money to buy items for your game. Well, if you make enough, you can turn the play $$ into real money to pay for your game! This week, he paid for 3 months of his game with his play money! He was so excited!!!

www.sunglasshut.com has if you sign up you will receive a gift card on your birthday.

In the mail this week:

Vaseline lotion travel size from Walmart
stickers from EPA
Fiber One Cereal from Walmart ( it was yummy!)
paper tape measure from Hanes www.hanes.com/kids
a package of things from www.djtvclub.com

Spring

2008-04-24T20:43:00.000-07:00

Spring has definitely sprung here today..and it seems like it was overnight! Yesterday the cherry tree had some blossoms on it..today it is fully blooming! The apple tree is partly blooming! Can't wait to see it tomorrow!

The kiddos seem to be blossoming too! lol The youngest has grown like 3 inches this school year! I really felt like they weren't learning this year & I was SO discouraged..and today!!! WOW!! All the things they were talking about that we have studied this year! WOO HOO! PTL!

Our oldest ( 22 ) is growing too! lol 3 months ago our 18 yr old has passed him in height..now the olest is taller by a smidge! Also the oldest asked me this week what flaws he has that he could work on. At that time I couldnt think of any flaws he has! lol

The 18 yr old is in the midst of college finals..ending his 1st year! WOW! He will be SO glad when finals are over. He was going to take a summer class before our oldest son's wedding was scheduled..but since he is best man he is taking the summer to help his brother!

Frugal week of 4/13

2008-04-20T16:52:00.001-07:00

There were lots of opportunities this week! I didn't get to take part in as many as I would have liked! But, every little bit helps, right?

The sweepstakes I participtated in were:

dreambeancontest.com
quakersnackbars.com/qsbpromos.ChocCherry/register.aspx
bakelifesweeter.com/cupcakes
hgtvpro.com
bedbathbeyond.com
organicearthday.org

I got signed in with Mypoints.com & I did a little with it but not much.
Heard about Rebox from Reflections..I went to the Redbox website & got my 1st code for getting a free movie, but haven't gotten the movie yet.

I did surveys for:

Globaltestmarketing.com
synovate.com
Costume Super Center--I had ordered from them..they offered me a surbey for a chance to win.
Meijer's--I shopped there this week & if you do their survey you are entered in their contest.

Rebates:

Got a $20 card from Symantec for the laptop we got for my dad...I think that's how I got on their survey list!

The free samples I received this week were:

True Lemon...Dale really like these!
Serenity Pad from Walmart
Simply Harvest--it's a hot cereal
Hamburger Helper microwave singles
Gold Bond Lotion from Walmart

Every week I go to Walmart & Costco sites to sign up for their free samples.

I joined the birthday club at Bluebell.com--will get free ice cream during my birthday month.

I saved $30 in coupons @ the store this week....2 things were BOGO free of Oust sanitzer spray. The other thing that was cool was I had a coupon for a free coffee creamer..up to $5 in value..I was able to get the largest one! YAY!

My family all seems to be getting into saving $$! lol This week Dale went to the pharmacy to see how we could save money. Our insurance changed this yr so we are paying a lot more in co-pays. Our insurance has this thing now if you are on the same prescription for 3 months, then you have to order by mail or pay the whole thing..so Dale got us signed up for that...but my thyroid medicine will be cheaper just by joining Walgreens..it's $35 to join & then I will get my name brand thyroid medicine(s) a 90 day supply for $13 a prescription ( I have 2 scripts currently)..my meds change frequently so this works better for us in temrs of easy access to the changing script & the cost is cheaper too! WOO HOO!

Any tips you can share?

Saturday's Frugal update

2008-04-12T19:29:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure this week had as good results as week's passed. Dale thinks that I found all the "easy" stuff & am having to dig deeper now to find things..which takes more time!

I sent several scholarship opportunities on to James..he has apllied for 2 of them..we will see what happens.

I saw that K-Mart fills pet prescriptions, so I called them..but they don't carry either of the ones Spike is on. sigh.

I signed up for some things. I signed up for UPromise..I dont understand it & I didnt give them a charge card to link it to so I guess I won't make as much but I"m just not comfy doing that right now. But got some points for joining. I also signed up for some surveys at synovate.net. Have earned 800 points with them already. I signed up at Mypoints.com only for them to tell me I already have an account & it's frozen. So, I sent them an e to find out what's going on there. I also joined Globaltestmarket.com I"ve taken a few of their surveys already. That was fun.

Things I received this week: a coupon for a free Scotch Brite disposable toilet scrubber w bleach kit, a coupon for a free coffeemate, a sample of Maybelline mineral powder & a free sample of Dove cream oil body lotion. It came in like a nice travel size! I was very impressed!

The sweeps/contests I"ve entered this week are:

dreambeancontest.com

bakelifesweeter.com/cupcakes

cottonelle.com/sweepstakes

hgtvpro.com

quakersnackbars.com/qsbpromos/ChocCherry/register.aspx

Don't forget to check out walmart.com for their weekly samples they will send you in the mail.

Saturday's Frugal re-cap

2008-04-05T19:19:00.000-07:00

I have been spending between 15-30 minute a day looking online for coupons, giveaways, etc. I started out doing 15 minutes a day. I've increased to 30 due to looking for scholarships.

This week in the mail I received from my 15-30 minutes of efforts:

An herbal life package...had a protein bar, protein shake mix, a drink mix, 3 days of vitamins...and I forget what else! It was very exciting!

Received 2 samples of Tide...that's 1 load per sample.

a box of pop up post it notes

I won a drawing from Sips 'n Cups Cafeteria ( an online site) a book "On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness.

Those are the things I actually received this week. I got notified that I had won a platinum DVD of 101 Dalmations from A to Z kids...but that hasn't arrived yet.

I have signed up to do some surveys. Will keep youposted!

My future daughter-in-law signed up for a group recipe site. I singed up too. If any of you are interested check it out....www.grouprecipes.com

I"m so glad to be back to blogging! Have missed you all!

Centerpeice

2008-02-20T07:40:00.000-08:00

Homesanctuary.com issued a challenge of making a centerpeice. It was quite a challenge for me! ugh! It took 30 min utes to find a place to put it. Then in gathering my items I knocked things off & things came crashing down on my head! double ugh! But, I now have a centerpeice! It might be short-lived, but it's there. We will see if the kiddos will leasve it alone & if big people will leave it alone. I was a little discouraged since Mom thinks its wrong I did it....I"m telling you, everything is always harder than it should be! ugh!

Well, anyway, I pulled out things that were still in boxes! I have a little statue of Jesus sitting on a rock with a glass dome over it, a free standing angel & a block of crystal with an etching of an angel in it & it stands on a stand that turns colors, thus lighting up the angel!

The youngest one is thrilled I did that & he cant seem to take his eye off of it!

Home sanctuary posted a site of ideas for making your centerpeice:

http://freshpalette.blogspot.com/2007/12/tablescapes.html

Date ideas

2008-02-19T19:05:00.000-08:00

I decided to "tidy" up my blog...so this is going into a post & then will be in the archives! lol

Great Times
Metropolis
Indians baseball game
roller skating
putt-putt
take a class @ Lowe's
have a taffy pull
ride bikes
visit a museum
Go fishing
Eagle Creek
canoeing
Volunteer to work @ a mission together
zoo
The Melting Pot
play tennis
paddle boats
ride in a hot air balloon
Climb Time
Corner Gourmet
Cinema Grill
picnic
King's Island

Tagged by Cajun Quilter

2008-02-17T16:32:00.000-08:00

The challenge was to turns to page 123 in a book & post the 5th sentence & then the next 3. This is from the Bible study that I"m doing. Page 123 is a check list of sorts. Sentence # 5 was:

I invloved my family in the process of giving & stowing as much as we could.

The next 3 sentences are:

I created a tackle list of unfinished business

Check to confirm you are routinely incorporating the following positive changes into your daily routine:

I'm using my personal notebook

ok..I tag:

Melinda
Donna
Terri
Melissa
Marcia

Freebies & a give-a-way

2008-02-03T00:43:00.000-08:00

WOO HOO! And I think I found these myself! lol

I found them on the http://www.atozkidstuff.com/

For a free sample of Dove Body lotion: http://www.dovebodylotion.com/

Post it pop up notes: http://mmm.apfco.com/w1285/index.cfm

A great give-a-way..and if you can let her know I snet you, that would be great! Flipflopmom shared this with me: http://ruddell.blogspot.com/2008/01/who-are-you-my-first-giveaway.html

Another give-a-way!!!

2008-01-27T13:49:00.000-08:00

A Cowboy’s Wife is having a contest on her food blog! You can win a Hamilton Beach® Stand Mixer and she’ll ship anywhere so everyone is eligible!

I love finding these! This one came from Flip Flop Mom! Thank you so much!

A blessing today

2008-01-27T13:31:00.000-08:00

YIPPEE!! I"m so excited! I won a contest! WOO HOO!

It was from Heather @ freebies for moms. The contest was to share with her a sweet valentine message that youve either sent or received! Well I couldnt remeber exactly everyting I said, but I told her about the time I made a poster board for Dale & did it in a rhebus style..I said " you are worth more to me than $100,000 but instead of the word I put a $100,000 candy bar! And I had like 10 things like that on the poster. Anyway, Heather liked it!! WOO HOO!

So, here is what I won!

My Fruit Roll-Ups Giveaway
Posted: 26 Jan 2008 07:56 AM CST
The "Frududes" are making My Fruit Roll-Ups for my son to pass out as Valentines. This is a unique way to create Valentines for your child, minus any paper! I was amazed by the choices available to me: images, ink color, pattern, message. I selected a 3-piece random pattern with a "Be Mine" heart, a dinosaur, and my Valentine's message from my son. I am excited to receive my box of 30 custom My Fruit Roll-Ups, and can't wait to surprise my husband with one in his lunch to take to work.If you want to order your own box of My Fruit Roll-Ups, first enter my giveaway below. I'll be announcing the three winners on Sunday morning. If you don't win my giveaway, then you can order directly from their website, but be sure to place your order before February 2 to receive them in time for Valentine's Day. Also, don't forget to enter the promotional code BE MINE to get $10 off your order. That makes them $19.99 for a box of 30, which is 67 cents per roll-up (not including shipping which varies). Not bad for the sweetest Valentine around!Even more exciting is that I am giving away a FREE box of My Fruit Roll-Ups to 3 of my lucky readers! You can enter my giveaway anytime before midnight (CST) on Saturday, January 26. To enter please Email me with the sweetest Valentine's message you've sent or received. I'll be selecting my 3 favorite messages to award my 3 lucky readers. Remember that I am looking for a unique message! Keep the message short, but feel free to write a brief "story" behind the message to explain why it is so sweet to you!

So, I have designed mine already. I put 2 hearts on it & the message is " I love & adore you" since that is what I tell them all the time.

Check out her blog when you can. She said she hopes to be doing more give-a-ways.

Another contest

2008-01-26T17:41:00.000-08:00

I'm having too much fun in the world of blogging!! lol

Here's another one! Thaks to Jaydee for telling me about it!

http://methemama.blogspot.com/

A contest & a site to check out

2008-01-26T16:57:00.000-08:00

Reflections has introduced me to a site I just love!!! The site is www.biblicalwomanhoodonline.com

The contest is under her Wed Jan 23 blog post. It is titled Giveaway: $100 Vision Forum Passport. The contest is open until noon Mon. Jan 28th.

Wish lists

2008-01-18T17:22:00.000-08:00

I love being tagged! lol And tagging others!

Ok..Melissa ( Reflections) tagged me..the tag is to:

1. Write two wish lists of five items each--one material wish list, and one spiritual.

2. Tag 5 people to complete this as well, and comment in their blogs to let them know

Material Wish list:

1 Be out of debt

2. have my own laptop

3. go on a cruise

4. Get a 7 passenger vehicle

5. And have a pre-paid charge card with lots & lots of availability on it! lol

Spiritual wish list:

1. Have my devotions every day

2. Do the Becoming the Woman God Wants me to Be

3. To be the Prov 31 woman

4. To be the Titus 2 woman

5. have more joy

ok..I tag:

Kim

Shannon

Melinda

Donna

Jayedee

2008 goals

2008-01-05T05:44:00.000-08:00

I got the idea from Reflections to post my progress on 2008 goals! ( check out her blog..she has awesome ideas!) I have 2008 goals & monthly goals..so will post both & in random order! lol

Porgress this week:

have a birthday party for all 4 kiddos next Sat..so this week I worked on goodie bags, finding gifts for 2 of the,,still in progress..and booked the party! WOO HOO!

been successful @ having devotions every day so far! What a blessing!

been blogging more!

been renewing my mind..and a lot of you have had a lot to do with that!! Thank you so much!

had 3 out of 4 days where I felt I led in the peacefulness of our home.

2 out of 4 days were increased in veggies.

3 out of 4 days did the 5 min room pickups.

Well, that's all for now. Hope to work on more goals today. How are you doing on progress?

What a difference....

2008-01-04T04:06:00.000-08:00

What a difference 20 years makes! lol 20 years agon when we were raising our boys we went on certain field trips, called to schedule field trips, and paid certain prices! Now, while working with these little kiddos things have changed! Many field trip we did before we can't do now! Most of them due to 9/11. We can't tour our water system place, cant tour the Frito Lay factory ( one of our fave trips!), etc. Yesterday I went in to schedule a birthday party @ Chuck E Cheese's...you cant book that way..can only book online! And years ago we took our boys to play Laser Tag. There was a package on Sat's from 9-12 for $10 a boy ( which @ the time seemed a lot for us!) Now it's 20 min of play for $7 a boy!! We are not playing laser tag @ those prices! So, it's quite interesting finding things to do with these kiddos.

Happy New Year

2008-01-02T07:36:00.000-08:00

Hope you all had a good New Year's..ours was a little hecitc, but ok. Dale & I both werent feeling well..Jm & A spent the day with us..and James brought a girl home for us to meet who he likes..but she has a boyfriend right now! lol

What are your hopes & dreams for the New Year? I'm still making goals for the year, but also goals for each month. Dale is excited about those! lol I asked each boy what they wanted this New Year..they are thinking on it! lol

One thing I started working on yesterday was James Eagle Scout ceremony...want to get that done ASAP.

Authors

2007-12-03T12:56:00.000-08:00

Who have you read in 2007? What did you love? What did you not care for? Who do you hope to read in 2008? Here is a link to an author I plan to check out in 2008: http://writesthoughts.blogspot.com/ She is posted under the post 3rd day of Christmas.

My new authors this year were Neta Jackson & Karen Kinsbury. And I was thrilled that Lori Wick put out 3 new boos!..I have 2 of them read & the 3rd one sits in my pile to read.

Tis the season...to be emotional

2007-12-01T13:35:00.000-08:00

The 4 kiddos left this morning to go to their dad's. Dale & I went to K-Mart to do grocery & Christmas shopping. We had just started ( was filling our water jugs) and having a "normal" conversation..not about kids..just catching up with each other...when I hear something & I look up to see what it is. Here comes a man ( I'm guessing "grandpa") pushing a cart with a little girl in it ( Dale thinks she wasn't more than 2) The little one gets so excited telling "Grandpa" that there is "Mommy" ( she's pointing to me) then her face falls just a tad but keeps jabbering how I look like Mommy...and then whispers, "But does she know where my Daddy is?" When she started jabbering about me being "mommy" the man's face got like I know mine does when I just want to move on with the little guys & he just nodded & you can tell he was trying to get away from us. I smiled @ her & waved a little & as soon as she turned the corner I absolutely fell apart into Dale's arms! sigh..a whole generation being raised that are looking into stranger's faces trying to find their parents! I was just heart-broken!!

Just thought I would share, and ask..what makes you emotional this time of year?

The 3 yr old

2007-11-29T18:41:00.000-08:00

He always makes me laugh! Today I was "discipling" the 3 & 4 yr old. They had been mean to each other. So I sat them down & the dialogue went like this:

Me: ( to 4 yr old) God gave you 3 gifts called brothers ( and I named his brothers) You are to take care of them, love them & be nice to them. Do you understand?"

4 yr old nods

Me (to 3 yr old) God gave you 3 gifts named ( and named his brothers & counting on my fingers his brothers)
3 yr old:( counting on his fingers) How about I have a batman, a rope...( by then I had to cover my mouth with my shirt & keep my eyes with no expression, so I dont even know what the 3rd thing was he said.

Me: God has given you many gifts. Right now we're talking about the gifts named ( and named his brothers) He noded & the day resumed! lol

Then last week he was seeing his mom & we were downtown & here was the dialogue:

3 yr old: It stinks

the mom: yes it does

3 yr old: smells like gas

the mom: Yes, it does!"

****a space of about 3 heartbeats before 3 yr old said in a very disgusted tone:

Not BUTT gas, car gas"

roflrofl..I have NO idea where that came from!!

So what kid stories can you share with us?

Saying Hello

2007-11-27T19:54:00.000-08:00

Boy, I've missed blogging! Thanks to everyone for being patient with me! I hope I can get back to it..and do it consistently!!

Been keeping busy with the little boys. Today we got to go outside for 20 minutes. They have been sick & were thrilled to go out!

I got to cook tonight! lol I havent hardly cooked in 3 yrs! And for the last yr, Mom has done most of the cooking! But James had requested my turkey & rice..so i got to make it! WOO HOO!

So, how is everyone?

Songs

2007-09-02T20:41:00.000-07:00

I love songs! I can't sing on key, can't always remember the correct words, so I make them up as I go..but I love songs! lol Flipflopmom put up a challenge to tell about a song that means something to you. I will work on that...she put the title, the artist & what it means to her. I plan to check out the songs she listed. They sound awesome. Meanwhile, what songs mean something to you?

Product review

2007-08-30T07:30:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to post more & got the idea from FlipflopMom to post a review!! So here it goes...

Just tried Cascade Complete for the dishwasher! It is GREAT! The dishes are clean, there's no residue, etc, etc.! YIPPEE!!!

My neice

2007-08-17T14:53:00.000-07:00

My neice is so cool!!! she knows how to post graphics, pic, etc..so for everyone who has been asking for my pic..here it is! lol she will post it now! And I will try to start blogging more! lol

Present & accounted for!

2007-06-27T18:44:00.000-07:00

It's been a zoo here. On top of having a cold, Mother has it, James has it, sil has it, neice has it!

Here's what's been going on:

Sunday evening we got a call from a good friend who had a lead for a job for James. We hadnt planned on him working but this seemed like something straight from God! So, he called on Monday, went in & got the application, took it back Tues & has the job! lol He will start a week from Monday when he gets back from church camp.

Monday James had an eye appt so we could get him new glasses since he lost his June 5th. His prescription has improved....but he has a few symptoms of glaucoma so we will have testing for that June 17th...the Dr feels there is a 95% chance that he does not have it.

Tues took James to get 2 fillings filled.

Jm had his interview Tues. He doesnt' think he did that great, but we all will keep praying.

Dale has had a busy week @ work full of meetings & training classes.

I've just been helping take care of people with colds & getting ready for a yard sale that starts tomorrow!

We have had a lot of rain this week! Which is good as we were in a drought!

I read the new Lori Wick book called White Chocolate Moments!! I loved it!!!

Recital & Reflections

2007-06-09T17:32:00.000-07:00

This year I have been consciously trying to learn something new several times a week ( would like it to be every day!) 2 things I heard about this past week:

1) A friend of mine was putting on 1 lb a week due to her health issues. She went to a nutritionist who told her to eat pineapple. It absorbs the fat. She was told to eat 4 rings a day but she just couldn't stand that much pineapple. So, she ate 2 rings a day ( she got the kind where it's in its own juice) for 2 weeks & lost 6 lbs!! How cool is that? So, Dale is going to give it a try I think.

2) The parents who sat next to us @ graduation heard Dale say he was having leg cramps. The father works long hours @ a power plant & he had a Dr say to put a bar of soap under your fitted sheet & it takes away leg cramps. Now, no one seems able to explain why it works, but it was an interesting topic of conversation! So, we're going to try it I think! I"ll let you know how it works!

I love sayings! I saw one the other day that has become my siggy line: 40: the new 20 rofl.

Today James had his 1st ( and probably last! lol) recital. A year ago he asked for hip-hop lessons. So, he has taken them this year & he wanted to be in the recital. He thought he did terrible but the audience loved it! I got teary ( again! lol)

After the recital, Dale took us out to eat. We went to Bob Evans so there would be a variety of soft foods for James. Dale & I were then going to go out & do things but he got sick so we just came home. So, Mother & I went shopping! lol Got her some new shoes & got some clothes for the oldest nephew as he has almost nothing! Penney's was having a sale!

After I got home Dale got up from resting & we started watching Walk the Line but it wasn't working well on the TV downstairs so we might finish it up later on the upstairs TV. He hasn't ever seen it before. After that he got us dinner from KFC ( my fave!)

I've been very reflective today! lol 23 yrs ago today we got married. I was thinking of some of the things that happened that day: the audience hushing my dad, myself, & my bridesmaids while we waited for our turn to go into the church, Dale's mom accidentally blowing out the unity candle & Dale's dad standing up & saying " Stephanie, you blew out the candle ( I got told about that, I was still in the foyer! Lil), me deciding AFTER I got in my dress that I had to potty, so my 3 bridesmaids holding my dress so I could go!!!, my sudden panic when I turned the aisle to see Dale & he looked funny & I was ready to bolt! Dad must have suspected because he tightened his grip on me & down the aisle we went! Me RUNNING down the aisle afterward, dragging Dale ( we have pics of that!)..I was SO thrilled to be his wife! A huge hug from his dad, my back hurting from the weight of the dress, our cake melting, and on it goes! Just thought I'd share a few of those with you all.

Not too much

2007-06-08T19:57:00.000-07:00

This has been a relatively quiet day! lol Was @ bro's 14 hours but not much happened!

I forgot to tell you how James got hurt! lol The mouth injury was sustained while playing frisbee golf. He said if the tree hadn't been there, he would have had that frisbee! lol But the tree was there & he discovered that trees are stronger than his mouth! He is doing better today in the sense that he is lol @ my jokes & he hasn't done that since he got hurt. But no he is saying " don't make me laugh, it hurts" lol

Thanks everyone for the anniversary wishes!

I have found a new food fave! lol Rally's has fully loaded french fries! They are the greasiest, most wonderful things I have had in a long time! lol

Monkey # 4 had to call James to day ( he is 3) to see how he is. The 1st thing he said was " I love you" I later asked James how he rated...here I shed blood, sweat & tears & he doesn't tell me he loves me & all James had to do was run into a tree! lol That was one of the things that made James laugh tonight.

Looks like bro has another dog going into labor! lol Sil checked on her several times tonight. Maybe we will have more puppies by tomorrow! That will make this batch & the last batch 2 weeks apart.

Last night I had a few spare moments...doesn't happen often, so I started following links from other blogs. I only got to do one, but I love it! If you get a chance, check it out.... http://2nd-cup-of-coffee.blogspot.com/

I'm looking for ideas for the little ones for the summer so if you have any ideas I would love to hear them. They do love the coloring pages I print for them. I'm going to order workbooks for them. Here is the url to check it out. http://www.summerbridgeactivities.com/

Hope you all have a blessed evening & a blessed Sat.

Catching Up

2007-06-07T19:19:00.000-07:00

June 1 brought the joint Open house for the boys. We had about 100 people come. We served pizza, hot dogs, Subway sandwhiches, chips, pretzels, veggie trays, fruit trays & cakes & mints! Each boy got to choose a cake. James chose pina coloda! lol Jm chose raspberry. They were a huge hit! A friend of mine made the mints & since the boys are allergic to " mint" she made them in strawberry & raspberry flavors! Several of my friends helped so I was able to visit with people. It was such a huge blessing!

June 2 was James graduation! I was teary thru lots of it! lol A friend had written me a sweet note that I read 1st thing in the morning so that started the tears. Then one of the scholarships awarded that day was in honor of a friend that passed away several years ago. I didn't know there was a scholarship set up so I was emotional about that.

After graduation we went out to eat @ the restaurant of James choice..Chinese!! lol The guy who was best man @ our wedding was able to come to the ceremony & he was able to stay with us until sun evening. So, that was a great time!

JM's girlfriend was such a blessing during the whole weekend. She arrived on Thurs evening & stayed with us until Sat night. She helped load the cars with things, fixed my hair ( as Jm says, I'm not used to having a girl for these things! lol) helped with any work I needed...she set the table up, helped with decorations, did dishes (PTL!), etc, etc!

June 3rd Dale & I visited with our friend, JM worked & James went to church & hung out with friends.

June 4 I did little ones all day & James recuped! lol Jm had class & did some studying.

June 5 was James orientation @ college. Parents were able to go to. It was a nice day, but long! lol But he got his classes scheduled. He's very excited about school starting. He is taking: math, a required learning center class, English, psychology, computers & yoga (lol).

After orientation, James came home & got ready to go to a friend's graduation open house @ a park. At 8 he called to say he was on his way home..I said OK..he explained that he had gotten hurt & wanted me to not freak when I saw his face! I asked if he could see to drive to which he replied: " Oh yes, my eyes aren't the problem, it's my mouth" We were all waiting outside for him when he arrived home. Dale & I had already gathered things together in anticipation for a hospital run. He showed me his mouth..2 big wholes!l then he explained how that wasn't his only injury @ the party..it was his 3rd! that's when he decided to come on home! lol So, off to ER we went..they x-rayed his ankle & decided it was only sprained. He got 5 stitches in his mouth. We were home by midnight! lol

The last few days I have been with my little grand-nephews. with it being summer & they get bored easily, I started a game of sorts yesterday that so far they love! lol It's a point system. So they are busily earning their 100 points for a food treat! lol 1000 points gets a toy treat..the youngest only has to do 1/2 the points of his brothers..the oldest especially is all about this! The yard & house is more toy free than its been in months! lol The 2ND one has used manners more in 2 days than in 2 weeks! lol

Well, I know there's more but that catches me up somewhat! I tried something new this time since when I type a lot blog spot seems to lose it...I typed this in an e mail & then copied/pasted it! lol Hope this works!

Happy Memorial Day

2007-05-28T09:49:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone is having a blessed day! I have eaten & slept! lol The guys have gone to see Pirates of the Carribean. I'm leaving in an hour to do some errands & then to go to bro's from 3-9.

At 5:30 this morning 6 little puppies were born @ bro's! YIPPEE!

I stumbled on some websites today. Have not checked them out really well, but thought I would pass them on to you all anyway.

http://www.guidinglightvideo.com/contest.html This site has a contest every month.

http://www.coloring.ws/freebies.htm This site is where I found the above one! lol Hope to check it out more later.

Dad arrived in the Philippines. There was a storm over Omaha on his way to LA & the plane dropped for like 2 seconds. The attendants were serving drinks & I guess drinks went flying & the passengers were scared to death! Dad also said the plane shook so hard that he thought it might fall apart.

GRRRR

2007-05-20T05:07:00.000-07:00

I just spent 30 minutes writing a huge post for you all & it didn't post!! Oh well, I"ll try again tonight if I can! I"m so bummed! It was a good post! lol

Updates

2007-05-11T20:25:00.000-07:00

My mother-in-law called several days ago & said she was doing well. We will call her tomorrow to wish her a Happy Mother's Day & to check on her.

The youngest one is almost over the chicken pox. Still a few patches of pox giving him trouble. The one big patch behind his ear is almost gone, the one in his nose is clearing up ( with his help!lol) but the big patch on his bottom is really hurting him. They've turned into almost a burn! Poor thing! He is so miserable. He was almost completely potty trained before he got sick!

It looks like my bro now has the chicken pox! Poor guy! He had it as a kid too so he is totally bummed that he has it now!

Everything with Dad moving, etc is in limbo for now. Will let you know when things are out of limbo!

Went for my eye testing today & it seemed like a waste to me. The big test our eye Dr wanted done couldn't be done @ the office we went. sigh. We've scheduled it for in 2 weeks but not sure we will keep the appointment. Not much they can do for me if I have the problem...I would pretty much be research for them. We are going to talk to some of my Dr's & see what they think.

Bro is raising Huskies. When he gets his website up & running, I"ll share it all with you. Both my boys were over there today helping build things for the dogs. Dale calls it the Husky condominium! ROFLROFL.

I think of so many things I want to share with you all, but so far not enough time or energy! lol But I will keep plugging along!

Changes, Changes, and more Changes!

2007-05-03T19:09:00.000-07:00

What a day of change this has been! I had no idea when I got up @ 6 am what changes awaited me!

Dad told me today that he is going to move out of the house next door & go to the Philippines. It looks like he will be leaving in 2 weeks. He wants me to sell his furniture for him. ( Change #1)

We offered JM the house..he said yes! We spent some time working out details which went very smoothly as we all seemed to be on the same page. It was very touching. Dale even got up to hug him! I think "empty nest" is going to be hard on Dale! (Change # 2)

So, we asked James if he wanted Jm's room..of course he said yes! lol (Change #3)

Do you all see a lot of moving of things in my near future? lol I did ask Jm if he could get some of his friends to help us with all the moving of stuff & he said yes! YAY! It's going to be quite a project! And you add this to we have 2 graduations in the next month!

I did pretty well with the Bible study book yesterday. Today I ate 2 eggs, walked 20 min & took my vitamin..that was it..didn't even get to the reading.

During the day I always think of things I want to blog, then @ night I"m too tired to remember what they were! lol

Today before babysitting we picked up James cap & gown for graduation! Hard to believe it's less than a month away! We got more paperwork mailed for him in the 1st. Last night we went & picked up the invitations! HAVE to work on those this weekend!

Oh, update on Mother-in-law...she does have Stage 3 lymphoma...she doesnt have the kid that's rare in adults, so that's a blessing! She will still have treatments every 3 weeks, but it will be @ a hospital close by & it will only be for 1 day! That is a huge blessing to them!

My Mom gets the Better Homes & Garden magazine. There was 2 sweepstakes advertised so I signed up for them, only to discover more to sign up for! I had too much fun signing up for as many as I could in 10 min! lol I hope to sign up for more soon! To check these out go to www.bhg.com. You have to register but it's free. Then go to offers, then to sweepstakes & you will find lots to register for!

Happy May!

2007-05-01T16:00:00.000-07:00

I love a new month!!! lol

I have been so tired, so today I stayed home! I had planned to go try out for Deal or No Deal as they were in town today, but the news said last night people were going to camp out there all night & that each person got 20 seconds with the producers. There is no way I was going to impress a producer in 20 seconds, so I just stayed home! lol Dale took the day off too. We just snuggled & lounged around most of the day. We did go to Kmart. I went looking for a couple of short outfits but didnt find any I liked. Did get some socks for JM & some cheese & yogurt for the little guys.

My father-in-law called this morning & things have changed. The nurse came in this morning & told them that the Dr. was changing how he was going to do things with her, so after tomorrow's treatment she can head for home.

Today is Day 9 in the Bible study book. I did the daily reading, am working on the memory verse, I walked 20 minutes with Spike, and took my vitamin C & ate the 2 eggs.. Today might have been the most veggies I had. I had 3 different servings of tomatoes, had a tossed salad tonight with lots of veggies in it. Also had mashed potatoes, peas, broccoli, & cauliflower. I am SO full! My head wants ice cream though! lol

My sister-in-law bought me new shoes about 6 weeks ago. I wasn't sure they fit, but today with my toe swollen, they fit! lol SO, yay!

I didnt get any water down, but got a record of 44 oz of semi sweet tea down! Hubby was happy with that since I have a tendency not to drink enough.

Jm & his girlfriend are spending the evening @ her grandmother's. Lots of times this semester they spend Tues. evenings here...but I"m sure the schedule will be changing as this is the last week of this semester.

Well, time to go write bills! lol

Just stuff

2007-04-30T19:49:00.000-07:00

yep..Melinda, I took your title..but just for the day! lol

Mother-in-law started chemo today. We talked to her tonight. I guess she is kind of having a reaction..so they had to slow it down & give her benadryl & I guess do IV sedation. So, she is now looking @ Fri before she can go home. And one of the nurses told her today that 2 weeks from now she will lose her hair.

I"m on Day 8 in the Bible study book. I love it! I didnt do great today..did take my Vit C, got the reading done, started memorizing the scripture & got 20 minutes of walking in...didn't get to the lemon water, or any water for that matter..didn't get to eating 2 eggs...I forget what else there was...I know I need to get new walking shoes..but right now I have an infection in my toe so it will have to wait. Also, am to find a walking partner.I figure the little ones are my walking partners! lol

The verse for today & 4 days after is Pslam 62:1-2

My soul finds rest in God alone: my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation: he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

Just wanted to blog!

2007-04-29T20:48:00.000-07:00

lol. Not sure I have much to say but just wanted to post!

I just got an e mail from the Christianwomenonline that I won the book for April's drawing!! WOO HOO! 1st time I ever went to that site & I won! Yippee!! I was trying to remember who got me to that site & I think it was Flipflopmom! So, thank you so much!!!

Today was a gorgeous day here!!! Hopefully soon it will be gorgeous often & I can get some flowers out!

Today was sil's parent's 50th wedding anniversary, so I babysat for the little ones so she could go to church & to their reception.

I'm hoping in 3 weeks noone else will break out with the chickenpox & we will be all done! lol The youngest one regressed on his potty training yesterday..his 1st accident the whole time he was sick! But he was back on track today! PTL! Now, the 4 yr old is a different story! sigh!

I've enjoyed the study I"m doing. I am behind in reading but I still ate some veggies today!

Yay for having 2 more buddies start blogging here!!! YAY!!!

Updates

2007-04-27T21:04:00.000-07:00

I've been @ bro's for 2 1/2 days. The youngest is still pretty fussy with chicken pox, but he's improving.

This morning my nephew-in-law had made it to Miami. He had a 4 hour layover there & then would be on his way home. I haven't heard anything, but I assume he is home.

Talked to mother-in-law tonight & as she put it, it really isn't good news. She has Stage 3 Lymphoma. The Dr did say it was curable. She starts chemo on Monday. She goes to a hospital 90 miles away from her home...stays for 3 days of chemo..goes home..then returns 3 weeks later to do it again..this goes on for 6 months. She was doing fine telling us until she had to tell the part where she can't travel for these 6 months. Then she broke down crying...she will mis both our boys graduations..and she had been looking SO forward to it. The Dr said he doesn't anticipate her being sick, but she might lose her hair. He did say this was a very aggressive treatment. I think this is called Bulgia or something like that...very rare in adults. Father-in-law is taking this very hard. Mother-in-law is tired! I think she is doing well though.

This and That

2007-04-25T04:35:00.000-07:00

It has been quite the week!

We got a new roof! PTL! It's brick-colored to go with our brick porch! It looks so nice! I'm so thankful we got it before the big rains! We are to get 1-3 inches of rain in the next 36 hours.

The youngest little one has chicken pox! ARGH! And my niece has strep, bro has strep, ear infection & an infection in the lining of his lungs, sil has a very bad virus throughout her body!

My nephew-in-law went on a missions trip. While there, there was acue (sp). He didn't get out. We didn't know where he was or anything for about 24 hours. Then the embassy called my niece to say they had him & would be getting him out. He was to have been on a plane last night for his journey home. He wont get here thought until Fri! I"ll be so glad when he lands!

One of the groups I"m in online started a Bible study book. It's called Becoming the Woman I want to Be by Donna Paltrow. I just love it. I"m behind in the reading but hopefully will catch up today.

Since Monday here is what I've done for the body aspect of the Bible study:

increased veggies

talked to Dr about what I can & can't do in this program...he said no to the multi-vitamin as that will cause trouble with my thyroid issues..I will just stay on the vitamin C I"m already on. He told me about some frozen entrees that WalMart & Meijer's carries that he would like me to eat when I need to...he couldn't remember the name of the manufacturer, so I will go looking this weekend I hope.

Yesterday I walked for an hour.

I drank lemon water yesterday morning but missed the fact it was supposed to be hot lemon water! lol So, have fixed that today.

I thought I did something else but can't remember what. So, it's a start on this journey. I don't think I've been this excited about something in a long time!

WOO HOO! I"ve been tagged! lol

2007-04-17T16:17:00.000-07:00

Hooray! Thanks to Cajun Quilter, I've been tagged! So here are 10 things that hopefully you don't know about me.

1. I was 16 when I started dating hubby.

2. I once was "The Talking Tree" at Christmas time for the department store Lazarus.

3. I LOVE Sweet tea!

4. I like chick flicks.

5. I love electronics.

6. My mom had twin boys in between me & bro..they are in heaven.

7. Dale just set up my digital camera that has been in its box sent Sept! WOO HOO!

8. A friend brought me flowers yesterday.

9. We are getting a new roof on the house on Friday.

10. My thyroid levels dropped to a new low..so medicine increases tomorrow.

This was fun! How many times can a person be tagged? lol

What is my name?

2007-04-16T19:52:00.000-07:00

lol Today I truly wasn't sure what my name is! lol Everyday I am "mom", "honey" Daughter" Sister" & Aunt"..but then depending on what day it is & where the imaginations of my nephews take us I could be " Hawk-girl" "Supergirl" or "Batgirl" lol I call my sister-in-law (I call her sister-in-love since the love between her & bro is what gave her to us!) "Grace Kelly" cause she is so elegant & about perfect. I am SO not so I told her I was either Phyllis Diller or Lucille Ball! lol Well, I guess the name of Lucille won out for today as around noon after the 2 youngest went down for a nap, I was kinda of hurrying down the stairs to help boy # 2 with homework & I promptly fell down the stairs! Brother came hurrying to me & asked what happened! I looked up & while crying said " I FELL" ( rofl) He lol & wanted to know what caused me to fall! I have no idea! I guess we decided there is no more traction left on my slippers! lol Tonight I complained to sil about how much I hurt & I listed everything that hurt. She asked bro why I would hurt in all of those places & bro said " cause she bounced all the way down the stairs" ROFLROFL He said once he knew I was ok, it was really funny! lol

So, that's today's blog! lol

You take the good, you take the bad

2007-04-13T18:58:00.000-07:00

Do you all remember the song from Facts of Life? "You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both & then you have The Facts Of Life" That's kind of what today's posting will reflect. Of course this is several days worth of things! It's been quite a busy week!

Tuesday I went with Dad to the eye Dr. His eye pressure had come down considerably! We are so thankful! We were there for 2 hours. When we came out to the lobby this elderly woman was sitting next to James just chatting away. I turned to look @ Dad, who nodded his head that yes, we know her! I went up & said " Can you spot one of us a mile away?" lol She had no idea that was my son she was talking to. James had no idea whe knew her. He hasnt seen her in prob 10 yrs. Anyway, she is one of my grandmother's best friends. They havent seen each other for awhile as my grandmother went to a nursing home 3 yrs ago & the other gal went to live with her son. So, that was quite the reunion in the Dr's office! lol

Thurs I went with Mom to get her taxes done. That was a long process...lots of paperwork since she retired last yr..and lots of taxes for her to pay! ARGH! But hopefully we can fix some of that for next year.

It has been so cold here..I've been cold all week! Finally got warm today! Anyway, 2 weeks ago when it was SO warm our tulips & other spring flowers that we planted this past fall, came up. I"m concerned they will surviv this cold snap much longer! I love flowers but these are an extra special blessing as these are the ones Mom planted in Nov after she got home from the hospital.

Tonight we received the news that Dale's Mom has been diagnosed with lymphoma. She has testing next Mon-Wed & then back the the Dr on Fri. We will hopefully know more then. All prayers would be greatly appreciated.

A Day in Our Life

2007-04-09T16:24:00.000-07:00

What a day!

I will not be having cataract surgery anytime in the near future. I had concerns there is another problem & today he agrees. So, I go to a retina specialist May 11. Will prob have 2 appts with him/her & then back to my opthamologist & then we go from there. I had hoped to have my cataract surgery mid-June when James was @ Boy Scout camp..but that prob wont happen now.

My nephew-in-law came out today & got the ball rolling re our new roof for the house so that's good!

JM did not get the research thing in Maryland, so he will be sending his application to a police force this week.

My 18 yr old neice is moving in 6 weeks so I"m sad about that. I'm use to seeing her every day for the last 3 yrs! I home-educated her for 2 yrs.

So, that's a day-in-the-life here today!

How fun!

2007-04-08T11:28:00.000-07:00

After months of different people telling me about their blogs, I have finally made one! I love this! I have a lot to learn!

We have had a blessed Easter. Very low-key, which is a nice change of pace! It was our family of 4 & my Mom & Dad. We had ham, chicken legs, turkey breast, asparugas, corn casserole, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, veggie tray & pineapple-upside down cake.

I always make my guys a goodie bag. So they opened it after lunch. Now everyone is off relaxing. Mom is sleeping with the Shirley Temple marathon as background noise, the oldest is sleeping with a movie of his choice as background noise, the youngest is either doing his Suduko that we got him or the Kakuro book we got him. Hubby was reading the new book he got, but I think he fell to sleep!