My Things Costco

My friend Chris wrote a post the other day about her love of Costco. It reminded me that I have been walking around for a couple months writing a post in my mind about the fine establishment that is the mecca of all things warehouse stores. Alas, I feel it is time to unload my burden and just write the darn thing!

When we first moved to Michigan, back in 2003, Costco was no longer close to us. The closest one was a good 45 minute drive. That's not so convenient when all you want is a case of milk and frozen chicken. Now that we have moved, yet again, the beloved store is now literally down the street from us. Say it with me now, Whoo-hoo!!!

Here are a few things I love about my Costco (yes. mine!):

• It's just down the street and around the corner
• I can run in and just grab a case of milk and that's it!
• it has four self-check stands. Awesome! (and I use it all the time)
• they have fabulous customer service
• great deals, hello?!
  

Although I do dearly love my Costco, there are draw backs. My in-laws have a term for stores that attract slow moving people with shopping carts. Wal-Mart is one of them. Costco is the other. The term? Alien Dampening Field. And Costco, being the super large warehouse store that it is, has one equal to its size. The Costco dampening field seems to reach inside people and turn them into zombies that seek out the food samples at each isle. It also causes them to stop mid isle for no reason and make them oblivious to others and the flow of traffic around them. Weekends and Costco are prime for this particular phenomenon. Thankfully I tend to go during the week, in the morning, and therefore avoid such occurrences.

The other peeve I have with this fine establishment is when I go to leave. I really really really really do not like to wait in line to have someone check my receipt. I think it is ridiculous. We had a friend back in San Jose that happened to be a police officer and he knew a few things. One of the things he knew was that Costco could not legally make you wait to check your receipt before leaving. When Dave went to Costco he would walk right past the receipt checkers! I always think of that when I go, but never have the courage to actually do it. *sigh* Another thing about that receipt checking thing....I don't know about your Costco, but at mine, if I have one of the kids in the cart with me the Receipt Nazi always takes their time to flip over the receipt to draw a smiley face. Come on man, don't you see the line of full-carted people behind me who are desperately trying to free them selves from the dampening field??? I always keep walking forward slowly in hopes that they'll not do the smiley face thing. It never works. Then the kids fight over who gets to hold it. Great. Thanks big guy.

Even with it's draw backs it's still worth it! My peeves never keep me from going. And I can't help but be thankful that I now live close to one.

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In other Costco news....did you know that they do not carry Martinelli's Sparkling Cider after the New Year? Nope. It's a seasonal thing. Bummer! Also, they do not carry Tummy Yummies*. Ryan asked. They just don't. Just thought you should know.

**Ryan went to Costco for me one day and I wanted a box of their super yummy cookies from the bakery. So on the list I wrote 'tummy yummies' thinking he'd understand because we had just polished off a box and had talked about it. For those of you who don't watch Clifford The Big Red Dog, tummy yummies are treats that the characters (dogs) eat. I thought it was appropriate to call the super-yummy cookies Tummy Yummies. Don't you?

I'm in the Money!

Whoo-hoo!!! I made some money! Last week I bought a small desk for Mae but later bought a second one that I liked better. I listed the first desk on Craigslist this week and tonight it sold. I had bought the desk for $15 and sold it for $30. On top of the extra $15 I also made five bucks delivering it. Not bad eh? Thanks to a cheapo desk and a brilliant sales idea (the delivery charge) I made some moolah! I'm so stoked!!!

The Prose of Rain

It's been raining a little bit for about a week. We even had a thunderstorm on Friday, which is unusual for this area. A couple days ago the kids and I were in the truck when it started raining pretty hard. Mae noted this and sang the little rhyme about the rain.

'it's raining, it's pouring, the old man is sneezing!'

Not exactly the way I remember the rhyme, maybe it was prose?

My Bon Garfo Experience

Ryan made it home safely from Singapore on Friday afternoon. He did not suffer from any jet lag but did take a nice long nap when he got home. I am so grateful to have him home! To celebrate the occasion of his return we went on a date Saturday night. Ryan loves Brazilian food and found a restaurant downtown that serves Brazilian bbq. Ryan read a review of the place online and one person said to bring your fat pants when going to this place. No doubt he was right! The food was so very very good. I now know why Ryan got the name Bon Garfo during his many visits to Brazil. Bon Garfo in Portuguese means good fork (I think I spelled it right). He has a penchant for good food and always seeks it out when traveling. It is nice to live in a larger city that offers many different places to eat. Ryan is in food heaven!

It's the Little Things

Ryan has been gone this week. He left Sunday morning for Singapore and will return today. When we lived in Michigan there was a period when he was traveling a lot and it did not go well for me during those times. I'm not sure why, but this week has gone relatively smooth and I am so grateful to the Lord for what he has done in my life to cause me to handle this week better than I have in the past. I always try to make things easier for myself and the kids when Ryan is gone. So this week I have done the following:

• bought tv dinners for the kids (frozen pizza for dinner tonight! I just don't cook when Ryan is gone)
• bought chocolate chip cookie dough and made cookies for myself the kids
• rented two kid dvds
• made up a silly song for Mae and we have sung it all week
  
• rented the first season of Lost on dvd (I love it!!!...don't spoil anything for me, say nothing about anything past this season!)
• stayed up late each night watching Lost!
  
• had Isabel sleep in my room so I can blame night noises on her and not get freaked out
• bought two desks for Mae off Craigslist (yes, two. Hopefully I'll resell desk #1 for a profit. *big grin*)
• take kids to Chuck E Cheese for lunch (yes, I'm crazy. but I must say that going on a weekday for lunch was not too bad)
• wear hat every morning when taking Mae and Caleb to school
• get ready for the day after I get home and have had breakfast
• get up earlier on Wednesday to help Mae get ready so she can look extra nice for school pics
• stay with Mae at school today for the first part of the morning to watch her get an award for displaying good character in class (no pics, Ryan has the camera for his trip)
• don't tell kids that Ryan will be home earlier than we thought....they'll be so surprised when he walks in before naptime!!!

Well, like I said, this week has been relatively smooth considering Ryan's absence. I always dread these times, but God has been good to us this week. Praise Him! I am thankful for all the little things that have helped this time pass easily. Praise Him indeed!

No Bloitering!

Have you heard the term 'bloitering'? I first heard it from my cousin Rose who often reads blogs but rarely leaves a comment. She is a self-proclaimed bloiterer. Recently, while doing a bit of my own bloitering, I came across a new blog called Bringing Good Home, but never introduced myself until the blog party came along. While leaving a comment on her site I mentioned that I had been bloitering her blog. In response to the new term, she created some buttons for her site that discourages bloitering (because who doesn't like getting comments?). I asked if she would share them with me, and she obliged. Here they are:




Now I have some choices. These three are my favorites. Would you like to help me decide which one to put on my blog??? I like the sign, it was kind of what I had in mind when she first approached me with her idea. The kitty is cute, but at the same time I'm not as partial to cats as I used to be. Then there is the silhouette. I'm not sure what to say about that one other than 'I like it'. So, tell me what you think!

If you'd like to add one of these to your own blog you can go to my blog-friend's site and nab one out of her 'free graphics' folder at the top of her blog. Make sure to say 'hello' if you stop by, she doesn't like bloiterers.

Craigslistin' Mama!

Ryan has a few nick names for me, Ebayin' Mama is one of them because of all the buying and selling I do (mostly selling, mostly). As of today I think he may have a new one. Craigslistin' Mama! I just got home from buying a small desk for Mae, but last month I bought a bed for Caleb and the month before that I got Ryan a small file cabinet. See....Craigslistin' Mama! Now I only have to find a chair for Mae's new(ish) desk. I'm on a mission, watch out!

I just love Craigslist! It's like an on-line garage sale (and garage sales rock!). I am definitely going to list some of the larger baby items on Craigslist. Like the highchair when Issy is done with it (which is very soon) and the two baby baths and two diaper pails (the 'odorless diaper pail' did not live up to its name!). So between Ebay, Craiglist and Amazon I think I'm set. Whoo-hoo, I just love great deals!

Daily Trivia

Here is today's Fact or Crap question of the day:

Ralph Lauren's real last name is Lifshitz.

I'm not making this up, this really is the question! Ok, again, no cheating! Tell me whether you think this is true or not. I will post the answer in the comments later tonight. So.....fact? or crap?

Hair Woes

I'm not a person who cries easily, but right now that's all I want to do. Seriously. I just got off the phone with the salon and have been informed that the lady who cut my hair last time is (here comes the sad part) no longer there! Noooooooo!!!!!!! I finally found a place that doesn't charge an absorbent amount, is just around the corner from me, and the lady was so nice and did a fabulous job of listening to me as well as explaining how I can style my hair. Another sad thing is that there is no one in her price range available for new customers. Crap man! This is just is not right. See? I just wanna cry!!!

I was able to make an appointment for the following Saturday (not this week like I wanted, but I knew it was a long shot anyway) with a master stylist (whatever that means, besides a reason to more money). *sigh* Now what am I to do??? I can't pay what they would charge me after this next appointment (won't is more like it!). Oh well, maybe they will get another junior stylist before I need my next appointment? I can only hope.

On a completely different note.....I just want to say that I don't like phone numbers that are listed with words instead of numbers. I mean, come on, I don't want to have to look at each number on the number pad and locate each stinkin' letter so I can dial 123-hair!

Ok, I'm done. Sorry. I wrote the numbers above the word so I won't have to locate the numbers next time. Maybe the next time I will have a better outcome than I just had this afternoon and won't have to blog about it to alleviate my emotions (unless I hit the hair style jackpot and land a stable, totally awesome stylist!)

Spring Is In the Air

Today the kids and I took a little trip to Target to stock up on some Spring and Summer necessities...........sandles and sunglasses! Mae and Caleb, of course, were excited about their new stuff and couldn't wait to use them. Caleb loves his new sandles, he told me 'I call them my fast sandles 'cause they make me run fast, but I don't run in the house.' I wish!

the cool guy sporting his new stuff, along with the bike he got for his birthday!

It's funny, Caleb knew exactly what he wanted when it came to picking out his glasses. We got him a pair in the fall (now broken, hence the need for another pair) and back then he picked out Thomas the Train. His desires haven't changed. Again, it's Thomas the Train. He's an easy kid. Mae on the other hand has to look at each pair, try several on then waver in indecision. Such a girl! With a decision finally made we were able to leave, all happy.

doesn't she look bling'd out with those cool glasses???

What does Isabel get, you may wonder? Nothing, really. The other night I pulled out the box of Mae's old clothes for Issy. You know, hand-me-downs. At this point I know Issy doesn't care but I'm sure that in the years to come she will. I don't have experience with this first hand (pun intended) but I know it's coming! Anyway, I am loving using Mae's cute little outfits again. It was my hope that I'd get this chance when I first packed them away. So, as Isabel didn't get any new things she does have a new-to-her wardrobe! Whoo-hoo for hand-me-downs!

Daily Trivia

I lack any creative juices today and my life is too dull at the moment to bore you with details. So, I am consulting our daily trivia calender for today's post. The calender is called 'Fact or Crap', and this is what you do....read the statement and decide whether it is true or not. The answer is given on the back side of the days page. Without further ado, here is today's statement:

Johann Sebastian Bach composed a cantata about coffee.

Fact? Or crap?

Ok, now no cheating! No doing an online search . No Wickipedia. Just give me your best shot, your best guess.

Sorry, no prizes, this is just for fun. I will post the answer in the comments later tonight.

My Girls

My two girls have some, let's say, interesting things about them. Let's take Mae for starters. She did not name any of her stuffed animals or dolls until after she was 3. I don't know why, but we thought that it was strange that she waited so long to name anything. But that is not the weird part. When she did name things she got, well, creative. Mae had three baby dolls and decided to name them Pump, Kilp, and Lintz. Now you have to admit that these are not the typical names that little girls name their babies. This is just another example of her strong will. When she gets something in her mind then that is what she wants and nothing will dissuade her. And she's at it again, just this week she was given another doll and it has now been named. Please join me in welcoming Animal Rescue to our home!

Here is Mae with her babies

Linz, Animal Rescue, Flower Girl, Blueberry, Kilp, Pump, and Baby Boo

Isabel has her oddities too. She has quite an attachment to 3 particular pairs of toe socks. The strange thing is that is it part of her night time routine for going to sleep as well as for comfort during the day. Some kids have stuffed animals or blankies they can't leave home or go to sleep without. Isabel has toe socks! This was party my fault but I had no idea that it would become what it is today when it first started.

During Isabel's first Christmas (2005) my parents came to visit for the holidays. I got my mother, Mae, and myself a pair of fun toe socks for Christmas so we could have a silly sock day when Grandma was there. I had a pair of multi colored striped pair and I noticed that they had attracted Isabel's attention. So I laid them across the top of her bed rail so she could look at them when I laid her down. Isabel did look at them at would reach up and pull them down. She would then suck her thumb as the sock covered her face, and she would go to sleep.



Isabel ended up receiving all three of our toe socks that Christmas (for some reason my mom didn't want the ones with duckies on them....hmmmm, I wonder why?). So, what had started out as an innocent act of giving something neat for my baby to look at has now become a necessity every nap and bedtime. As odd as it is, it could be worse. At least her comfort item is not a huge one-of-a-kind stuffed animal or bulky blanket! At least the socks are easy to grab on the way out the door or be slipped into the washer while she is distracted with another pair!

I peeked in on her this evening and this is what I saw, and I couldn't pass up this kodak moment!



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Wow! This is my 100th post! I just love this blogging thing, it's the greatest. Thank you for joining me in this great adventure that is blogging!

And the Winner Is.....

Thank you everyone who came by my party this past week and said 'hello'! I've met many new people thanks to the Ultimate Blog Party, and hopefully I've made some new friends here in blog world as a result.

I had my own little bit of fun because of the party. I put all the names of everyone who left a comment in my party post and had Mae pick one out of Issy's hat. So, without further ado, I must say 'congratulations' to Chris, the winner of my drawing for five fabulous cards!


**I have tell you that when Mae saw the cards she said 'I like your cards Mom, I know you did your best.' Thank you, Mae! I hope Chris likes them too! *wink wink*

Join the Party!

(this post will remain at the top of my blog until Friday, so don't forget to check beneath for newer posts this week! You don't want to miss out on all the fun stuff!)

I've joined the party! Come on in, I think it will be fun!!! Ok, so who am I?? My name is Deanne and I have been married to my fabulous husband for over ten years. I am also a mother to 3 small kids. Mae, who is 5 (entered kindergarten this year!), Caleb is 4 and Isabel is 19 months. Yep, I'm a busy one. I have the privilege to stay home with them in hope to raise them to be loving children of God. What a challenge this is! My mother made it look so easy, maybe because she's so good at it, or maybe because I was such a wonderful and perfect child? I'm thinking she was just good at what she does! *big grin*

I grew up in California and since being married I have relocated 4 times! My journey started with a move to San Jose, CA after I got married. From there we moved to Portland, OR where he got his first job out of college. Then we jumped over to Michigan for a few years, and now we are back in California! Whew, what a ride we've been on! Going through all our moves and the situations that come with and within them, I have grown more dependent on the Lord for all things. I'm a work in progress, so don't go thinking I've learned it all. I'm just a little California girl working through my relationship with my Lord. My one goal in life right now is that my children will see Christ in me and will one day have their own love and relationship with Him.

My purpose for this blog was initially to give a way for my family and friends to stay connected with my life. However, I have been blessed by the many friendships I have made since starting. I think having this blog gives me the opportunity to 'talk' about daily things in my life that I might not otherwise have the chance to say since I hardly know anyone in this new place that we live. Amazingly, I feel connected with other moms in a way I never expected. I love it!! I am a blogging addict. My name is Deanne, and I love to blog.

My hobbies include; blogging (of course!), reading (mostly Christian Fiction), stamping (love to make cards!), selling misc stuff on Ebay (ebay is my friend, when the selling ends well), and just plain ol' being crafty and creative.

**Here's an incentive to post a comment in today's post. At the end of the Blog Party, I will randomly choose a 'winner' from those who post a comment to this post and the winner will recieve 5 handmade cards! So go on, introduce yourself and say hola!

Progress???

I wonder if going to the gym is starting to showing some pay off?. Today my pants fit a little better. I think. It could just be because I wore them yesterday and were stretched out from the days wear. But I'll take it as encouragement. It's time I look at the glass as half full! Can't neglect my friendly neighborhood gym though! Yes, that's what I have to tell myself.....the gym is my friend, the gym is my friend, the gym is.......

Know Your Bible?

I found this quiz while bloitering and decided to take it. I must say, however, that this was an easy test. There are about 42 questions, all multiple choice. The easy part was that two out the four choices were an absolute 'no'! That was the easy part. With that said, go ahead and give it a try and see how much you know!

You know the Bible 100%!

Wow! You are awesome! You are a true Biblical scholar, not just a hearer but a personal reader! The books, the characters, the events, the verses - you know it all! You are fantastic!

Ultimate Bible Quiz
Create MySpace Quizzes

Poop on Croup!

Yep, poop on croup at 4 in the afternoon.

Poop on croup at 1 in the morning.

That's all I have to say about that!

Cornbread Update

Oops! I left out an ingredient in the cornbread recipe I posted last month. Sorry! I hope no one has made it and resulted in a failure. If so, please try it again, I know you won't be disappointed! Anyway, I left out the part where you add a 1/2 cup of melted butter. I've updated the recipe in the original post but you may want to add it to your recipe if you have it saved anywhere.

**thank you Carrie for letting me know! Sure hope Steve likes it!!!

Quiz Time!

I took a few fun little quizzes this morning. Here are the results!

You Are Ernie

Playful and childlike, you are everyone's favorite friend - even if your goofy antics get annoying at times. You are usually feeling: Amused - you are very easily entertained You are famous for: Always making people smile. From your silly songs to your wild pranks, you keep things fun. How you life your life: With ease. Life is only difficult when your friends won't play with you!

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

Your Power Color Is Lime Green

At Your Highest: You are adventurous, witty, and a visionary. At Your Lowest: You feel misunderstood, like you don't fit in. In Love: You have a tough exterior, but can be very dedicated. How You're Attractive: Your self-awareness and confidence lights up a room. Your Eternal Question: "What else do I need in my life?"

What's Your Power Color?

Muffiny Goodness

Here's the fabulous recipe for all you recipe fiends out there!

Six Week Bran Muffins

**preheat oven to 350 and make buttermilk before starting**

Pour 1 cup boiling water over 1 cup 100% All-Bran cereal and set aside

In a large bowl beat together:
1/2 c butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 c dark brown sugar (can substitute 1/4 c honey for 1/2 c sugar)
add soggy All-Bran

In a small bowl mix dry ingredients:
3 c flour (can use whole wheat)
3 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tbl cinnamon

Alternate mixing dry ingredients into large bowl with 2 cups buttermilk (can make your won buttermillk - mix 1/4 c vinegar with 3/4 c milk)

After all is mixed together, fold in 2 c dry All-Bran and let sit until dry ceral absorbs moisture.

Can add raisins, dried cranberries, or mini-chocolate chips before baking. Bake what you want at 350 for 15-25 minutes (depending on size of muffins) and store remainder covered in the fridge for up to 6 weeks using it as you need.

"This is an old, old recipe that is tried and true." - Gramma Harris*

There you have it! Enjoy, you new recipe lovers, you!

*when passing along this recipe it is important to keep the quote at the bottom. 'It's tradition', says Becca, who was so gracious enough to give me a copy of this fabulous recipe. (I, too, am a new-recipe fiend!)