and another...

Sorry, but these just make me laugh!

Smiles

In an effort to find something to laugh and smile about, I've been browsing YouTube videos...check this one out...



Did ya catch that airbag action? lol!

Sadness

One of my son's friends was killed in a car accident Saturday night. This is the fourth friend he's lost, in four years, in car accidents. My heart is broken for his sadness.

Baby it's cold outside!

The lake is completely frozen over, with the exception of a small area along the shore on the opposite side. It's been a very long time since it's been frozen over like this. I love it, though, especially because it's been sunny! I can handle the cold; just as long as it's not gray and rainy!

Happy Birthday!

Happy 1st Birthday Bella! Nana loves you SOOOO much!!!

for my big brother

My sister-in-law sent me a link to this video. I want to post it as a tribute to one of my heroes...
my big brother, Rick, the fire chief in Union, Washington...



love ya!

A question, or two

Tomorrow: AWANAS, dr. appointments, very, very busy!

Feeling: Very tired, stressed and depressed

Happy Because: My son and his beautiful girlfriend are engaged!

Today I: Am dreading...

Laundry: my favorite chore, always caught up

Something I know: I am loved.

Currently reading: Walk Across America, by Peter Jenkins

Wanting: A vacation, somewhere far, far away

Favorite gadget: my iPod and the new car player attachment my hubby gave me for our anniversary

Thankful that: we're all still here and healthy

Wondering why: people can't be honest

Care to fill in any of these with your own answers?

ht to Carmen at Mom to the Screaming Masses

Happy Anniversary to my beloved!

January 21, 1978-January 21, 2008

If I could save time in a bottle
The first thing that Id like to do
Is to save every day
Till eternity passes away
Just to spend them with you

If I could make days last forever
If words could make wishes come true
Id save every day like a treasure and then,
Again, I would spend them with you

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do
Once you find them
Ive looked around enough to know
That youre the one I want to go
Through time with

If I had a box just for wishes
And dreams that had never come true
The box would be empty
Except for the memory
Of how they were answered by you

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do
Once you find them
Ive looked around enough to know
That youre the one I want to go
Through time with
(Jim Croce)

Thirty years ago today I married the man I love. I was just 19 and he was 21. We were really still babies, but we thought we were so grown up! We've had our ups and downs, some really good times and some really hard times, but through it all I ALWAYS knew he would be by my side. I love you, Michael, more and more each day! Thank you for putting up with all my quirks and weirdness and tantrums, and thank you for loving me back!

Favorites

Some of my favorite things:
God
Mike
my kids
my grandbabies
family
Diet Coke with lime
spaghetti
ranch dressing
pretty nails
massages
new socks
clean sheets
chocolate mint frangos
perfume
diamond earrings
jacuzzi baths
watching tv in bed
reading
flowers

The Library

I love the library. I love to go there and read; it's so quiet and peaceful. I love to go and look at the newspaper and magazines. I love to go and get FREE magazines! but mostly, I love to check out books. Lots and lots of books. For FREE!

Well, that is, free unless you happen to set your library book down in a puddle of water on the edge of the bathtub, thereby soaking thru a couple pages. And then you try and blot the pages dry and use your blow dryer to dry them, but they're still kinda wrinkled, even though they're in perfectly fine condition and you can still read them with no problem.

So you take the book back to the library and TELL them what you did, and show them the pages, and hope that because you're being honest and not just throwing the book back into the bin outside, that maybe they'll say it's okay, don't worry about it. but they don't. and instead they make you pay $27 for a book you checked out because it was free. and it wasn't even that good of a book anyways and you don't even WANT the dumb book.

Other than that, I love the library.

KPS sucks

current mood: greatly annoyed, how is it that health insurance companies can raise their rates and lower their benefits at the same time?

current activity: blogging, when I should be cleaning the bathroom

current joy: a forgotten chocolate bar in the refrigerator that the hubby bought from some kid trying to raise money! whoo hoo!

my mood is improving.

Snoozing

Why is it when I set my alarm so that I can get up at a decent time, say 7:00 a.m., I'm always SO tired when it goes off? I hit the snooze once, twice, sometimes three times, and still have to drag myself out of bed.

Yet when I DON'T have to get up and can sleep in, I wake up early? (for instance...say, 7:00...like yesterday?)

And on Sundays, if I don't set the alarm, I always, always wake up late and end up being late for church? Then MY seat is taken and I have to sit somewhere else.

I know...it's not really MY seat.

(but it should be.)

Proverbs 20:13 (The Message)

Don't be too fond of sleep; you'll end up in the poorhouse. Wake up and get up; then there'll be food on the table.

Snow

This was the scene outside our back door yesterday morning. One of my lovely oak trees, covered in ice and snow. It seems like we've had a lot more snow this year than I remember having in years past. I love the snow and the change of seasons, in general, although I'm glad I was still able to make it to my hair appointment today! I also love, love, love my new camera! Thanks, hon!

Take a walk on the wild side!

Groceries

How much do you spend on groceries in a month? Check out this article. Generally, I'm pretty careful about groceries. I shop at Costco a lot, and stick to a list whenever I go grocery shopping. Generally, I have a few meals planned for the week, mostly based on what I have on hand. Once a week I'll go grocery shopping and get the few items I'll need for the week that we may be out of, and stock up on sale items.

I hate letting food go to waste, and fortunately for me, my hubby has no problems with leftovers! Owning a wedding/banquet facility helps, too. We donate a lot of food to the local community kitchen, but we also get some awesome leftovers from catered weddings and parties! My budget is $150 every two weeks and that feeds three adults. I did spend $300 on beef back in November that wasn't included in that amount, also.

Compared to most of my friends, I think that's pretty cheap, but I'm really curious how much the "average" family spends. I've never really factored in dining-out expenses, though. Generally, I don't eat out a lot, especially since I started the whole gluten-free eating (which, by the way, flew out the window the last three weeks, but that's another post for another day!), but I do enjoy breakfast at McDonald's way too much, and the hubby likes his Friday-night clam chowder at The Burg! I've decided this year I'm going to try and keep better track of how my money is spent and see if I can reduce my budget even more. We'll see how it goes.

Christmas Shoebox

I had a friend offer me a couple small toys the other day for my grandkids. There was a small teddy bear, a ginormous pencil, and another small toy. My grandkids received so many gifts for Christmas, they really didn't need anything else, so here's the suggestion I made to her:

Throughout the year we come across small items such as these on almost a monthly basis. It's not uncommon for us to find items left behind in our storage units, or to find brand new toys at garage sales. I have a trunk in the back of my closet that I began storing things in this fall. At Christmas time our church participates in Operation Christmas Child and I was able to put quite a few things I already had into two different shoeboxes. Another item I read about including is soap bars and I must have at least a half dozen bars I've brought home from hotels. My plan this year is to just keep adding to my trunk throughout the year, so that next year at Christmas I can do even more shoeboxes.

They seemed to think it was a good idea.

Away

We just returned from a wonderful weekend away in Seattle. We stayed at the Westin in a beautiful room with a view of downtown Seattle, the Space Needle and the waterfront. Thanks to my sweet hubby for that wonderful bit of luxury! We were able to check into our room early on Saturday and then headed for Quest Field. Our seats were awesome, 50-yd-line, under cover during the little bit of rain that came down, and of course, the Seahawks rocked!

After the game we had dinner back at our hotel, slept in this morning and headed back south around noonish. After a stop to do a little shopping, he at Circuit City and me at JoAnn's Fabrics! we met up at Barnes and Noble, where I spent some of the hubby's gift cards (lol!) and then headed home. It was a great weekend. We've decided to make a habit of spending more weekends "away" and it makes me so happy; happy to get out of this town, but even more so, to just be with my husband. I love him an awful lot. :)

p.s. oh yea...the hubby bought me a new camera for Christmas and I'm finally figuring out how to use it. As soon as I get the software installed on my computer, I'll be able to post pictures again...yea!

Today

Today: I worked two hours at the laundromat. I had to call my daughter, the manager, no less than 6 or 7 times to ask her questions. I've worked before, but new things kept arising today that I've never dealt with before. Do you know how much water a front-load machine can pour out on the floor when the door isn't sealed? Trust me...it's a lot.

I treated myself to lunch out at Denny's.

and;

I splurged and got a manicure/pedicure. My nails are painted blue and silver in honor of the Seahawks. Go hawks!

I still have to: Wash my "good" jeans and a thermal shirt to wear to the game tomorrow..yep, that's right, we're going to the Seahawks game! 50 yard line, no less...gotta love e-bay...Go hawks!

and;

Pack my clothes, cause we're stayin' at the Westin afterwards...ohhhh yeaaaaa! Have a great weekend, I know I will!

2008

In the words I read on someone else's blog, (whom I can't remember)...2007 was a butt-kicker. I love that. It's just a perfect description of the past year. But then, 2006 and 2005 were also butt-kickers. Actually every year since 1999 has been a...Hmm..I'm noticing a pattern here.

I read today at Large Family Mothering that the number 8 signifies new beginnings. I certainly hope that is true and that the year 2008 is a new beginning for my family in many, many ways, not just a new year. My mom told me not too long ago that my Grandma used to say that every seven years things turned around. So, if we're saying that things started going south in October of 1999, then we're into the eighth year and Grandma's theory is overdue and it's 2008 and things have GOT to get better, right? Because frankly, if things were to get much worse than they have the last three years, then I'm likely to just disappear into the sunset, and someday if they look real hard someone might find me sipping margaritas on a beach in Mexico or laying in a hammock in the Caribbean, ignoring all my responsibilities and working on my tan.

I've been attempting to find time the last couple of days, rather unsuccessfully, I might add, to make a list of goals for 2008. When I get my goals narrowed down and defined, I'll probably post about them. It seems to be the thing to do.

But if I could have just one goal...one dream...for this coming year, it would be for peace. Not world peace, although, that's a lofty goal, of course, but for peace of mind, peace in my heart, peace in my life. Even just a downward trend in the chaos and stress department would help.

Christmas

Said to me by Josiah, 7, my grandson on Christmas Day:

Grandma, I LOVE my presents...but you know, Christmas isn't just about presents, it's about Jesus and his birthday.

Yes, he gets it!

Perhaps the best gift I got this year.