Ginormous Plastic Bag

I've seen the commercials for these big 'ol zip lock bags, have you? When I first saw them on TV I thought " Phhht! What in the world would I need a ginormous plastic bag for?". I should not have been too critical, for I have found a purpose!

Big bulky sleeping bags!!!

I recently took one of our two big sleeping bags to the cleaners to use for my recent guests. The other sleeping bag will visit the cleaners shortly so it will be ready for camping this summer. Well, now that our guests are gone I need to put this big bulky thing away. It had been stored in our hall closet, but it takes up too much space. I'd like to put it in the garage but I don't have an adequate and safe place to put it. I also do not have one of those stuff bags to put it in and I do not want to simply roll and tie it up. I am afraid that spiders or other creepy insects will nest in it. That would not make for a happy camper, if you now what I mean. Ewe! So I've been pondering how and where to store these bulky things.

(Enter brilliant idea here) Eureka!!!

Ginormous plastic bag! Perfect!

I went to good 'ol Target and picked up a box of Hefty Big Bags. I was contemplating the Glad bags but Hefty offered their XXL size bags with 2 gallons more space for the same price. So, Hefty it was. And it fits perfectly! I can now safely store the sleeping bags in the garage or even stuffed under my bed. And no worries about creepy bugs nesting in my camping gear!!! Sweet.

First Date

Way back in February Ryan and I met another couple at church who had recently moved to our area from another state, same as us! The great thing was that we all longed for friends in our new place of living. The sad part is that we could never get together, for last minute reasons. Many times I planned to get together with my new friend but one of my kids would get sick, or hers, or it ended up just being bad timing. This went on for a few months....until today! I had my doubts but it finally came to fruition. Praise the Lord!!!

So, today was my get together with my new friend, Lani. I was excited. But what does one wear to a first time play date anyway? It really is like a dating. I settled on my standby jeans with a new two piece top ensemble and finished the outfit with my new cute mary-jane type shoes I got last week.

Yep, I was stunning.

Well, ok, I looked fine for a play date. Nothing too special, I don't want to scare her off! *big grin*

It was great to finally get together! I just know that we will be good friends. I can just tell already. A great thing is that her three kids are about the same ages as mine, just opposite genders. So we really understand each stage and phase the other is dealing with. It's going to be great getting to know her and giving each other's kids new playmates.

Thank you Lord for this new friend and for working out the details.

God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good!

More Trivia

Ok, I'm out of blog fodder, so again, I resort to my daily calender for inspiration. So sue me!

Amelia Bloomer invented bloomers.

Fact? or Crap?

**the answer will be posted tomorrow morning in my comments section.

Daily Trivia

A child was the first known person to survive a fall over Niagara Falls.





Fact? or Crap?

*noooo cheating! I will leave the answer tonight or tomorrow in the comments section.

Too Much Thinking Hurts!

Wendy has nominated me for the Thinking Blogger Award. Maybe she's stayed up too late while her husband has been out of town? For there's gotta be a reason why she thinks I deserve this most prestigious award. There's just gotta be!

Here is a short little list of things I am thinking about today:

1. I have six listings to add to Ebay today. Ebay is running a special today....twenty cent listings!!! I'm on it!
2. I deposited my latest check from Treasure Trooper. Granted it's only $28.26, but hey that's $28.26 that I didn't have before I spent a few minutes filling out meaningless surveys! Last month I my check was for $30. I so love this simple way of making a few bucks! (if you want to sign up you can use my referral link to get started, or just go to treasuretrooper.com!)
3. Gotta finish my bible study for tonight, I've so slacked off these past two weeks. Yikes!
4. It would be nice if I would finish unpacking my suitcase. Yep, it'd be nice.
5. My back hurts. I don't know why. It starts to feel better then I have to pick up Isabel, then it hurts again. I need to stop babying my baby. *sigh*
6. That's enough, I don't want to think anymore.....maybe I'll go take a nap!

Here is yet another list, but this one is of the people that make me think;

1. Chris at The Mayne Events. It makes me think of her starting a new life in a new place (just like me!). Her blog also reminds me of how much I miss her......but praise the Lord for email, telephones and blogs!
2. Julie over at Everyday Mommy makes me think on a more serious and spiritual note, but at the same time she includes everyday antics of her life. It a great balance!
3. Then there is Kim at Temporary? Insanity. She's a hoot! (and I don't regularly use that word either!) I enjoy reading (and seeing pics) of how she is organizing her life and home. An inspiration indeed!
4. And I love, love, love to read what Wendy is up to in paradise. Wendy's Tiki Hut is loaded with tons of cool things that she and her family do now that they are basking in the sun and waves. I wish I could be as cool as Wendy!
5. Last, but not least, is Becca at Zerbik. Zerbik is where Becca goes to hash out her spiritual thoughts and musings. I have enjoyed her many thoughts and questions and have also had the opportunity to dialog a bit with her.

The participation rules are simple:


1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote.

A Great Two Weeks!

The kids and I have had a very full two weeks. We just returned on Saturday from good ol' Modesto, where we spent the week. It's good to be home and back into our routine (and beds), but we miss our family and great friends.

My good friend, Rachel, and her three boys spent the week after Easter with us. It was great!!! I can not say how wonderful it was to have a whole week with such a good friend, it was a blessing indeed. We did lots of things but my favorite was being able to have full and completed conversations! I can't remember the last time Rachel and I had the opportunity to talk with each other. I blame it on having children. *big grin* While she and her boys were here we went to several parks for lunch, visited the zoo, and even did tie-dyed shirts! One day I got a couple of baby sitters and Rachel and I went to a ceramics painting store and spent a couple hours painting and talking. It was fabulous!

When it was time for Rachel and her crew to leave, the kids and I caravaned back up North. Cell phones are sooo handy! Being able to travel together for half the trip was handy too. If one person had to stop to use the 'necessary' we just called the other person, pulled over at the next gas station and the other person would watch all the kids instead of unloading them. I gotta say my return trip home was without this convenience. *sigh*

The second part of our two week extravaganza hit once we got to Modesto. The kids and I enjoyed the Grandma's and the Grandpa's as well as the cousins. My mom took a couple days off work and one day we went to Micke Grove with my sister-in-law and her 3 kids. The kids had a great time together. I think the best part of that day was the time we spent at the park for lunch. We spent more time there than we did inside the little zoo. The park was a great place for lots of picture taking too! The other major thing we accomplished while in town was getting a picture of all the grandkids for my mother. That's not an easy feet with six kids ranging from 10 to 2o months, but we were pleasantly surprised with how many good shots we had to choose from. And now we have yet another picture that captures our time together (toe sock included!).

Alas, here I am, back at home sitting in front of the computer reminiscing about my past two weeks. I gotta get it down and post the pictures before I forget! Now that I am home I also have to get back into the routine of fixing dinner again. *sigh* I have not a clue what will be the fare for tonight. Any ideas??

I posted some pictures from our last two weeks. I'm sure I put too many on there but I'm also sure that my family and friends will enjoy them. So, to the other 3 people that look at my blog, please forgive the numerous pics of kids and fun.....to the rest.....enjoy!

My Schpeal

Alright. Many of you have asked what exactly I said when it was my turn to say something of interest at the audition for Deal or No Deal. Here is the gist of what I said:

Hi, my name is Deanne and I was young and stupid when I got married when I was 20. But by the grace of God my husband and I will be celebrating our 11th anniversary this summer. The Lord, my husband and my children are the joy of my life.

Sheesh, when I write it out it doesn't seem like I said much! But when your standing in front of the person that will choose whether you get on the show or not and you only have 20 seconds, time seems to fly!

Do you think that what I said was worth remembering? You tell me. I'm thinking no, but hopefully I'll be wrong. We were told that once we said our schpeal that we were to leave, no questions or badgering. If we were chosen then we will be notified or reached with a phone call. It could be tomorrow or six months from now, or never. We were also told that about eight thousand people showed up that day for the auditions. So, again, is what I said something that is memorable in the midst of seven thousand nine hundred and ninety nine other people? I didn't think so either.

**If anyone is interested in playing a little on-line game of Deal or No Deal, you can play it here.

What Were We Thinking???

So, Deal or No Deal was in town recently and was holding open auditions. Ryan and I decided we'd go, so we did.

Yes, we are crazy.

No, we are not as crazy as most of the other freaky people that showed up.

It was an experience that's for sure! We had no idea of what it would be like and we are not likely to do anything like it again.

Let me first say why we decided to try out. We live in a very expensive place and it will take us at least a year to get together enough money for a down payment on a house. That is all we would want, just enough for that down payment. If it were not for that we would not have entertained the notion of going.

The auditions were from 10 to 2 on a Saturday but Ryan had read online that it was best to show up at six. So, he headed out early that morning and I caught up with him a couple hours later. Ryan got in line around 7 am and I got there at about 9. We had no idea that we would be in line for most of the day! Although I did not know the duration I did bring bottled water for the both of us along with snacks. It was a good thing too for I was in line for over 6 hours (Ryan for 9).

See, told you we were crazy!

I don't think I have ever stood on my feet as long I did that day. At least when you go to an amusement park you get to ride some rides or sit down every once in a while. My legs just ached and hurt. I must be getting old because I was not aware of some of the muscles I have (isn't that something that 'older' people say?).

I was surprised at the number of people that showed up (although I shouldn't have been) as well as the variety of people. There were certainly a number of people that fell into the category that I call 'freaks and weirdos', and many of them carried signs and had writing on their shirts or even wore costumes. I. Don't. Know. Why. The part that surprised me was that their were older people there (older as in retired). It's just not one of those things that I would think would attract people of that age. Of course there were younger people there with their groups of friends, but there were also people there by themselves. That struck me as odd too.

While standing in line for hours and hours, we listened to a band play then taped music when the band was on break. Some people danced when the music was really upbeat or played a classic popular song. That was entertaining in itself. At one point an African American woman of large proportions got her groove on and a retired man started freak dancing behind her! It was hilarious to watch as this mis-matched pair as they did their thang! Someone also brought a beach ball and the crowd passed that thing around in the air for hours.

I spent most of my time thinking of what to say when it came time to go before the casting directors. Every few hours the casting producer would come out and tell everyone what was expected. Which was that we each had 20 seconds to tell them something interesting about ourselves, something that would make them remember us individually. If I was memorable then they just may think of me when a profile they want on the show comes up. So I tried to think of something to say. It was a good thing I had hours to think of it 'cause I'm a perfectionist and I know I would have froze or blew it completely if I didn't have time to prepare something to say. In hindsight I'm not entirely sure that what I did say fell into the category of 'memorable', but I did my best.

So, that was pretty much our experience in this American phenomenon that is reality or game show television. I could go into more detail but I really don't wish to bore you more than I already have. We stood in line, moved forward, and watched weirdos. What more can be said?

Blogging Break

To my loyal readership:

This week I may not post much, if at all. I have a dear friend visiting with her three boys so we will be off making memories (and future blog posts). If I get a chance to sneak in a post or two then I will. I look forward to the week ahead and telling you all about it when I get the opportunity. I also want to blog about this past Saturday and the event that Ryan and I involved ourselves in. Hint....the post will be titled 'What Were We Thinking?!'.....so be on the lookout!

Oh! One other note since I'm warning you of blog nothingness...my kids and I will also be traveling the end of this week and will spend a week in good ol' Mo-town with my family. I hope to have some time to blog while I'm there. If not, then I'll be off making blog memories!

So no worries, I didn't fall off the face of blog planet. I will return!

Daily Trivia

Ok, so not much has been happening this week. At least nothing worth blogging about. So, out of my need to post something I again will consult our daily Fact of Crap trivia for inspiration. Here it is:

David Letterman and Mary Tyler Moore once had a TV show together.

Once again, leave your guess in the comments and.......no cheating!! I'll post the answer either tonight or later tomorrow.

Not Funny!

We have a nifty alarm clock. It automatically adjusts itself when there is a time change (ie. Daylight Savings). Once, before we had 'nifty clock', we forgot to set our clock back and the next morning we walked into church during the last part of the first service, we were going for the second service. Darn, we missed out on the best part of time change....fall back!

This year we had a rude awaking, of sorts. Actually it was more like an April Fool's prank on behalf of 'nifty clock'. Well, this year was tricky since the date of Daylight Savings time was moved up. No one informed 'nifty clock' of this change so it did not adjust itself when the time came. It didn't really matter because the pastor of our church is not a morning person so he does not observe the change until after the end of the second service, which gets out at noon. The problem was that 'nifty clock' knew when the change was supposed to be. The change was suppose to be this past weekend. April first. No wonder they changed the date!

This is how yesterday morning went:

Ryan: "It's 7:45." (church starts at 8:30)
Me: "That's not good."

(get up, scramble to get everyone up and ready (of course the kids would sleep in today!) and out the door 40 minutes later! We pile the kids in the truck and head to church)

Me: (inside the truck, on our way) "Why does the clock say 7:30?"
Ryan: "Maybe you didn't change it."
Me: "I know I changed it."
Ryan: "Hmmm. What does your watch say?"
Me: "7:30."

(silence, as reality sets in and we realize that we just missed out on an hours time of precious sleep)

Me: "Stupid clock."

March Movie Log

Another month means more movies! Here is what we viewed last month:

1. My Fair Lady (ok, so I watched this one by myself, but I'm not complaining at all!!! I so enjoyed this movie. I had seen it before, many years ago, and I am still in love with it. I still have some delightful songs in my head.......'Just you wait 'Enry 'Iggins, just you wait!', and 'Why can't a woman be more like a man?' Classic movie goodness, I love it, love it!)
2. Who Killed the Electric Car? (documentary on the reason why electric cars are no longer around. Intriguing.)
3. Why We Fight (Ryan watched this documentary on why America is involved militarily around the world. I wasn't interested in it. Sounded as intriguing as watching paint dry. So I declined to partake and let him do his guy thing.)
4. The Green Mile (I had seen this a few years ago but Ryan had not. The language is strong but the story is good.)
5. Lost (So far I have seen all of season one, and one dvd of season two. I've never watched a tv show on dvd before, and I like it!!! I like that one episode is 45 minutes and has no commercial interruptions. I also like that I don't have to wait a week to see another episode. I am liking this show a lot and can't wait to see more!)
6. The Illusionist (movie was alright. I had figured out what had happened but not sure how he 'done it' until it was explained.)
7. Happy Feet (This was our latest family movie night feature. At first I thought it was fun, especially when the kids would get up and dance along in their own silly way. But then the movie turned and became more, um, let's say, environmentalist. So, my overall impression was that it was ok, but it could have done with out the 'message'.)
8. The Prestige (This was one of those movies that made you really think and want to figure out what was going on, it did for me anyway. I like to try to solve the mystery but I didn't get to this time. I was surprised at the ending, it was good.)
   

My favorite viewing pleasure was, well, I gotta say was Lost! I can't help myself now. I went to the video store and got the next two disks of season 2. I'm sure I'll have them finished by tomorrow at the latest. My only issue is that I won't be caught up with the story after I complete season 2! What season is being aired right now anyway? Don't anyone spoil anything for me, please!

No Joke, It's Her Birthday!

Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to my favoritest mommy in the whole wide world, I love you!
Happy Birthday to you!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yep! Today is my mother's birthday. So, in honor of her this day I'd like to do a little list of why she is the bestest in the whole wide world and why I love her so.

My mother:

• calls me every week and has done so since I got married and moved away. It is the highlight of my week!
• tells me I am her 'sunshine'. *big grin*
  
• always listens
• never asks too many questions or questions that cross the line into being nosy.
• prays for me and my family and tells us so
• makes me laugh
• encourages me in my own motherhood (although I think she set the bar pretty high!) *big grin*
• has always found creative ways to fix things (she is my inspiration)
• let's me call her with my silly cooking questions
  
• loves to read and many times has passed along a great author or book. I love that we read the same books, it's so much fun!
  
• believes in the best in me even when I don't
• gives good, wise, sound and Godly advice
• is someone I want to be like when I grow up!

Happy Birthday Mom! I love you toooo much and I hope you have a fabulous day. See you in a couple weeks!