Friday Felicities
- Diet Grapico
- Fun day with a fun friend
- New clothes!!
- little boys giving their heart to Jesus
- little boys learning how to ride their bike
- boys growing up!! sniff!
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Entries from August 2007
Vacationing
Have you ever booked vacation rentals online? It seems like if you have a reputable company to work with, booking your rentals would be quick, easy and convenient - not to mention less expensive - when you book with a site like Goin 2 Travel. This site is a directory that has some pretty awesome vacation rentals - many of the rental properties are listed by the owners which is why you can save money - you are skipping the middleman!
Goin 2 Travel offers vacation rentals all over the world! You can rent an island in Maine, New York or even Spain - or you could go with San Diego vacation rental homes. The possibilities go on and on. Maybe you would consider Newport beach rental homes. You have to visit this site just to take in some of the pictures of these awesome places!!
Today...
I am going shopping with the boys and then to lunch. We are meeting a friend at the Children's Museum after lunch so that should be lots of fun. Loud but fun! I plan to have lots of fun, buy some clothes for the boys and even manage to leave the house wearing my shirt the right way! Yes, I did leave the house with it inside out the day before yesterday. Yes, I did go to the gas station, the library AND Walmart. Yes, I figured it was on wrong when I GOT HOME!! No, no one told me. Yes, I was embarrassed!!
Promoting Your Group
I don't know how good of a salesman I would be but I sure would love to have these promotional marketing products at my fingertips!! Can't you just imagine how fun it would be to put your name on all of these products? You can put your name or logo on anything! I do mean ANY thing! So if you have an item or group that you would like to promote - giving away free items with your name on them is the way to go!! Some of the newer items at gimees.com include planners with many styles, voice recorders (cool, huh?) and trick or treat bags.
Quick Notes
- Yesterday William asked me to come outside because he had something to show me. There's really no telling what's going to happen when they say that! LOL! He has learned how to ride his bike! I was amazed - I didn't know he was trying. I am really impressed too because he learned on the DECK!!
- Our new cat caught a lizard yesterday and left it as a present for us. Jonathan pulled the tail off. Stacey told me it was a defense mechanism. Poor defenseless lizard!
- Things have been a little tight around here lately. It's always interesting to set back and see how God's going to come through for us - because he always does. The funny thing is, I always work it out in my head and "decide" how He is going to do it. He always outdoes my thinking! Yesterday we got two separate checks in the mail: a gift and an insurance check (claim free reward type). It was amazing - He is always Faithful!
The Best Night Ever Bar None
William has been talking a lot to us lately about Jesus and heaven - I'd say over the past few months. This evening he was talking about heaven and how he wanted to go to heaven with Jesus. I told him when Jesus came into his heart he would go to heaven (something fairly simple like that). He told me that he wanted to pray - that he didn't want *me* to pray but that *he* wanted to pray - so he did. He asked Jesus to come into his heart!! It was such a precious time and I wonder if, as a parent, if there is anything better than that? He's been talking a lot about it since he prayed - even told the guy at the Mexican restaurant that he was learning about Jesus. He said we need to tell everyone about Jesus! Everyone on County Road 16!! I took a picture of him and told him it was going to be a reminder. (Especially for when he's older if he doesn't remember - cause I do!!)
Homemade Lemonade
I'm not sure where he got the idea but Jonathan has been wanting to make lemonade - with real lemons - for a few days now. We picked up a bag of lemons on Saturday when we went out for groceries - so, today is the day! I've never made lemonade before, have you? Do you have a good recipe. I found this basic one on the internet but would love to hear different versions! You'd probably find a very strong version at Excalibur Las Vegas.
4 lemons
1/2 gallon water
1 cup sugar
And that is it. Can't imagine what variations it would have - ooh! Maybe strawberries?
A Reasonable Plan
Losing weight is hard - it is for most people; but maybe the coming up with a plan that is the hardest. I came across this website today that listed 8 things you could do to lose fat. Be sure to visit the site to see their comments.
Here's the things: drop sodas forever, drop fast food forever, drop sugary food to once a week, drop carbs at dinner, eat dinner earlier, get physically active twice a week, sleep more and increase your protein intake. It sounds doable - dropping sodas and fast food would be the hardest but it can be done!
There's one thing about the page that I'm not all that into - it is the last section "Finally: WHY should you bother". What do you think about it?
That will get your body in shape but how about your body shop? Need some body shop supplies? Be sure to visit this site!
Do You Have A Favorite Software?
I do - but does a Firefox extension count as software?? I have found their add on called "Scribefire" to be super helpful, especially with the different blogs that I manage. I have one on my own domain as well as another typepad blog called Savvy Mom. I really like the fact that I
don't have to sign in to 3 different accounts. I make all my posts with Scribefire as well as save blog posts for future use. It's a really neat extension that I highly recommend.
Do you know about collaboration software? It is software that is designed to help people involved in a common task achieve their goals. This is what you will find at epazz. They offer seamless integration and in-depth personalization. They're not ALL technical either - they are understanding and will work with you from start to finish! They have a 30 day fre trial of their software, just contact them to get it setup!
Print It Out!
Here's a handy link to have with lots of useful items. These are things that you can print out and use and actually it is the response to an original article called "Top 5 Useful Items You Never Knew You Could Print Out."
My favorite is probably the placemats. There is also pre-generated iPod covers, tic tac toe sheets, Christmas gift tags, calendars mailing label generators and lots more!
Warehouse Skateboards
I am not a skateboarder - just the thought of me on one makes me laugh and laugh!! But I thought some of you might be interested in this site that offers element skateboards and a whole lot more. One thing that I thought was pretty cool is that they let you design your own complete skateboard - I think that would be fun! One of the funniest skateboards I saw on this site said: "give blood. go skateboarding". LOL, I guess it is inevitable!! I didnt' realize that skateboards could be expensive, but at Warehouse Skateboards they have a "sale items" page with some pretty good deals. Be sure to check them out!
Bear With Me - This & That
I find myself needing to make more advertisement-type posts on my blog for the next little while. I hope you guys will stick with me. I'm just paying the bills!
Then there were four! We have three butterflies and one trying to make its way out of his chrysalid. He's been trying since yesterday afternoon! I'm pretty sure the fifth one is defunct - but you never know.
My parents came over for a visit yesterday. I made pinto beans, cornbread, coleslaw, mac n cheese and mom fried up some okra and green tomatoes - it was Yumm-O!! We had a nice visit.
Hey guys - it is HOT here!!!
It's A...Butterfly!!
A few weeks ago we got our caterpillars in the mail and have been watching them closely. The instructions told us what they would do, how they would do it and how long it would take - and they were exactly right! They ate for a few days and then climbed to the top of the jar to hang upside down and form the chrysalid. We put them in our butterfly garden and waited - this morning we have two butterflies. There's three more to go but to be honest, I'm not so sure about those! Somewhere during the process, Jonathan got into the cup and tried to experiment on them - so you can understand why I am happy to have two of them!! Click on the butterfly picture above for more pictures.
Menu Planning
I didn't post my menu yesterday for menu plan Monday because it didn't change any from the previous week! Meal planning is always so hard for me and my hubby came up with an idea that lots of women already follow. Coming from him, it really released me from the stress and it has been easier ever since. Every week we have the same thing to eat. On Monday's I fix stir fry and egg rolls. On Tuesday it is salad and baked potato and on Wednesday we have Boca Burgers.
It also allows variety that I didn't seem to incorporate previously. Like tonight is salad and baked potato. It's a plan and I didn't have to think of what I am fixing, however, I decided to tweak it and instead of a baked potato, I am fixing scalloped potatoes for my hubby. I'm also adding salmon to the menu. It works for me! I think caribbean cruises would also work for me! :) I've only been on one cruise and it was wonderful. I had my first fruit soup on the cruise. It was sort of like a watered down smoothie and it was awesome!!
Good Morning Peeps!!
One place I don't think I would like to live would be in Miami - unless it was some sort of secluded place. I feel the same way about Atlanta and probably any big town like that. I guess I was raised a small town girl and that is how I would like to stay. (Check out this link: Miami real estate).
I knew when we lived in the house that we just moved out of a few months ago that I would enjoy being some place with a little rom - I just didn't realize how much. When I wake up in the morning, I don't hear loud bass music or people talking - that is so nice!! Sometimes I do hear a rooster crowing but it is in the background so it's kinda nice! We've stayed inside quite a bit during this heat wave but we're about ready to get outside and roam around again!!
Home Improvements
We haven't done any more home improvement since we had carpet installed a few weeks ago. I really wish we could go at it like we did at the old house - but we were getting it ready to sell and we did have some money put aside for that. Now, not so much! :) I would like to work on my bedroom first but I don't have any colors in mind yet. I could spend a LOT of money on the kitchen, given the chance. I really like my kitchen cart, which serves as an island of sorts - but I really wanted something bigger with bar stools. The miniature table and two tall chairs in the corner sort of make up for that. The wallpaper is definitely going! We're not going to get new cabinets but I believe we'll get new facings OR sand and refinish the doors that are there now. HGTV is going to ruin me!
I Thought This Was Awesome!!
You may have gotten an email from me with this same link in it. I liked it just that much!! I wanted to share it with everyone!
Weather Wonderings
It is Sunday again already - the week flew by so fast for me and I'm not sure why! I stayed inside a lot to avoid the heat and all I really did was schooling and housework! Today's high is 96 and that is like a cool wave compared to what we have been experiencing. I wonder, are you guys staying inside? Do people still play outside for pleasure when it is hot? There's a lot of golf courses around here - I wonder if people are really lugging around their golf clubs in this kind of weather? Tomorrow's high is 94 - I wonder if this heat wave is coming to an end?
Oh - and who is watching the hurricane? The weatherman this morning said that they think it is going to head towards Mexico but that Texas wasn't out of danger yet - what do you think?
Need A Mailbox?
I have never put much thought in buying mailboxes - not that I have had that many opportunities to buy one - but usually the thing I am thinking about is getting one that is durable - one that can withstand damage. Since moving out to the country, we haven't had any problems but I have heard friends talking about getting theirs bashed in - probably by teenagers out thinking that kind of thing is funny.
If you have been looking for mailboxes online, be sure to check out the residential mailboxes at mailboxixchange. I've been checking out all the different styles that they offer and they have some really nice ones! These look like they could stand up to whatever comes their way! And they're not just for residential customers, they also have commercial mailboxes for those who need it such as business owners or maybe for apartment owners.
Another thing to note is that they offer an affiliate program as well and those participating are paid $20 for signing up. You can read about that here.
Counting To Ten
Last night Dick and I were talking about schooling on the way home from town. He as mentioning how he would like the boys to learn some Spanish and that counting to ten would be a good way to begin. I didn't know for sure if William could do it but I knew they had watched a lot of Dora and Diego so I said, "Hey William, can you count to ten in Spanish?" He took off counting and I loved the look on Dick's face and the way his mouth fell open when he heard him counting to ten. It was priceless! I think I can count to six in Spanish - or maybe five, LOL!
Busy, Busy, Busy!
I can't believe I haven't posted since Thursday! It has been busy around here just with everyday life. School is taking up a good portion of that time and it is going well. It has been so cool to watch William learn to read more and more everyday. Jonathan is not as crazy about school as William but he does enjoy having school time. Basically he's not ready to learn to write, he's more interested in science stuff and doing things - so you know what? That's what we are doing! I am still going through the curriculum with him to see just how much of it he is ready for and then will go from there. I am not going to force him to do something and make him hate it! William started at almost 6 (Jonathan is almost 5) and he was ready for it and loved it - it might be the same way with Jonathan - so we will see. It might be that he will be ready for some of it later in the year. That's what I love about homeschooling, I can feel it out and do what works best for my child. I believe it will help provide the best learning experience for him and make it easier for him to like school!
In other news: that's about it! We're just living our life and enjoying our new home. Like most of the SE, we are experiencing some pretty hot temperatures! It's 95 degrees and our expected high today is 100 - yesterday it was around 103!! I'm just not used to that kind of heat!
And for those of you in that part of the country, I wanted to include a link for North Carolina furniture. They have some discount bedroom furniture you might be interested in as well as well as some pretty awesome accessories!
Thankful Thursday
- air conditioning - glorious air conditioning!!
- ice in the door - always there!
- cold water in the door (filtered too)
- (can you tell it is hot around here?)
- good schooling days
- freshly vacuumed new carpet
Jealousy - A Very Vague Post
I am so thankful that God put me together with Dick. We both have our own very distinct personalities yet somehow we jive together and get along most of the time. It is a wonderful relationship through which God has taught me a lot. I am also thankful to very secure in that love - I have never experience doubts or insecurity regarding his love for me - never. This is a good thing.
In my twenties I had some friendships that weren't always balanced and I think, because of that, I experienced times of jealousy that, at the time, just felt so awful!! I didn't think I would ever get over it yet, with time and (thankfully) maturity, I did grow and move past that.
Maybe a new sound system would help me feel better - complete with home theater seating.
Works For Me Wednesday: Tried and True
Today I would like to share a product with you that has been used around my house for quite some time. Believe it or not, it was my husband who first told me about it. It's called Krud Kutter. My husband is a painter and also does jobs such as blowing ceilings, some carpentry work, etc. He uses this product when he has to "kut the krud" from something and it works VERY well. When we moved into our new home, I used it to get the grease off the stove hood. I recently discovered from some friends (thank you, Cheri) that you can also use it to remove spots from carpet. I haven't had to use it for that yet but I am thankful we keep it on hand! You can find it at Lowes and places like that.For more WFMW tips, visit Shannon!
Housework Schedules
What works for you? I know, I know - some of my friends out there are rolling there eyes thinking - how many times can she possibly ask this question? I guess as many times as it takes for me to get my rear in gear!! It probably isn't a schedule that is or isn't the problem but ME!!
I can go weeks being really on top of everything - laundry caught up, rooms picked up, meals planned, bought for and actually prepared but then I have weeks like this where the laundry starts piling up, meals are kinda loose and we end up eating out and everything feels out of control - because it is. But I keep thinking the perfect homemaking schedule or "plan" will take care of it all! I keep trying!!
When I was a kid,my sister and I shared bunk beds. I of course, being the youngest, had to sleep on the bottom - but I showed her, every chance I got I kicked up on her bed!!
My New Locket Is Incredible!
I received my locket from Pictures On Gold Saturday!! I was so excited that I called my hubby at work to tell him all about it. I have been wanting a locket with the boys picture in it but, to tell you the truth, didn't want to go through the hassle of taking a picture that would be small enough and still look good. So I was very interested in reviewing the lockets from Pictures on Gold when the opportunity became available.
These are great quality lockets! Mine is sterling silver but they are also available in 14K gold. I sent in my photo and it was then it was color lasered inside the locket! The resolution is awesome and guess what? It is also 100% waterproof. It's true, I got the details off the website but MY locket is hanging around my neck and I couldn't be more pleased with the outcome.
I sent in my favorite picture of the boys. They were sitting side by side but the people at Pictures on Gold edited it slightly so they were even closer together so it fit wonderfully in my locket. I have pictures of my locket below and I encourage you to click on the individual images to see an even closer look. I had it engraved on the back with "William and Jonathan, 2007". It's a great memento - it reminds me of the (just 2 months ago) that we moved from of home of 14 years into a new home.
I encourage you to check out all the products they have available. Besides lockets, they also have other necklaces, bracelets, watches, rings, charms and more! Here's another close up of my locket.
Jonathan's Turn
Jonathan saw that William had recorded his bible verse so he wanted to do some recording on his own. He repeats a couple of lines but overall I think he did a fabulous job! It's not like we did the recording in a luxury home or anything fancy like that - but I love it!! I will be making use of the video function on my camera a lot now!!
Friday Felicities
- a fun new dishcloth pattern
- new photo albums
- 1 hour photo printing sent from my computer to Walmart
- boys who love to learn
- getting free stuff in the mail
- snail mail from friends
I Am So Proud Of Him!!
William has been working hard ever week memorizing a new verse. Actually with his curriculum, all the verses are Proverbs. He has memorized two so far and it is exciting to me to know that at the end of the year he'll know dozens of verses. We may have to celebrate and get a Pigeon Forge cabin rental! I memorized many verses when I was younger but not in 1st grade - I started in the fourth grade with the Children's Bible Drill.
Wordless Wednesday
See More Here.
Okay, maybe not so wordless after all! Do any of you have vacation plans this year? To be honest, we hardly ever take real vacations unless it is to visit family - it is simply not affordable for us. However, we do like to talk about where we would like to go and maybe we'll start saving for such a trip. The boys have been talking about how they would like to take a trip to the beach. I know that the outer banks in North Carolina would be a great trip - but we'll probably stick closer to home!
