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!

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.

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

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!