Day by Day

2009-07-29T06:25:00.001-07:00

One of my happy places. John ,the boys,and I love to kayak. I will post some pictures of the boys I couldn't find them for some reason. I dropped my computer a while back and had to get a new hard drive. So I am using John's pictures and trying to see if he put any of my pictures on his computer.

More of Michael's graduation

2009-07-27T05:10:00.000-07:00

2009-07-26T19:24:00.000-07:00

I forgot the video:) It took forever to upload the video. Is it that way for you? I will put another video on tomorrow. I am so proud of my baby!!!

Michael's Graduation

2009-07-26T18:19:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am still alive:) Here are some pictures and a video from Michael's graduation.

2008-11-27T06:02:00.000-08:00

When John and I were dating we worked at a Christian camp together in Michigan. He was a archery instructor and I was a counselor. The counselors got together and sang. This morning this song is playing in my head that we use to sing a lot:

Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks to the holy one
Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ His son
And now let the weak say I am strong
Let the poor say I am rich
Because of what the Lord has done for us
Give thanks
Give thanks
Happy Thanksgiving!

Teenagers!!!!

2008-11-05T19:08:00.000-08:00

If you know my teenage boys you know which one this tee shirt belongs to. In the words of Darla "give me strength." When they were little and would not sleep at night I use to say God made them cute so you don't kill them. Now I say to them you are going to meet Jesus today if you keep it up. To which they reply in a smart tone that they already know Him. Why did I teach them how to talk!

John's money saving tip

2008-11-02T15:26:00.000-08:00

We stayed home today from church so John could rest. He had yesterday off but spent most of the time fixing the hot tub. It is nice to have it up and working again. It has been a couple months since John has had a Sat. off. This morning while John and I were sitting on the porch drinking coffee Chris came out. I noticed that his pants are getting to short again. I told Chris we needed to get him new pants soon. John said we could do that or just get him better underwear:) This is John's money saving tip. Embrace the new style let your underwear show.

2008-11-01T18:59:00.000-07:00

Check out Darla's new money saving blog site:
http://www.centsofit.com/

2008-08-21T05:04:00.000-07:00

My husband has a way with words. We were laying in bed last night when he started rubbing his arm on my leg. Then he said "oh no, you shaved your legs ,now how can I scratch my arm?" Isn't that lovely?

2008-08-15T20:17:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am still alive. We have been busy playing:) The boys go back to school on Monday which makes me sad. I think they are ready to go back. Well, at least Michael is. I have a bunch of pictures for my blog but some how lost my battery charger so I can't put them on. I hate it when I lose things. It is driving me crazy. So, as soon as I find it I will post some pictures. John is playing his video game right now. Big shocker huh. I got to go out for ice cream with one of my friends. I don't even think John realized I went. We were gone for a couple hours. It was fun. Then I got to talk to Darla on the phone. I do love to talk on the phone with my friends. I have had a very nice evening. I will try to post more soon. Notice the word try. I know I am not the best blogger. Bear with me. I will usually post once Darla gets on my case. I love ya Darla.

2008-07-25T20:08:00.000-07:00

Chris and I had fun making orange chicken. It turned out delicious. Not the most low in fat meal :0) But it tasted sooo good. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:Chicken-2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1-1/2" cubes)

1 ½ cups all purpose flour1 eggs (beaten)

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

Oil (for frying)

Orange Sauce-1 ½ cups water

2 tablespoons orange juice

¼ cup lemon juice

1/3 cup rice vinegar

2 ½ tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon orange zest (grated)

1 cup packed brown sugar

½ teaspoon ginger root (minced)

½ teaspoon garlic (minced)

2 tablespoons green onion (chopped)

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons water

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Combine flour, salt, and pepper. Dip chicken in egg mixture and shake in flour mixture to coat. Deep fry chicken in batches at 375 degrees in a deep fryer (or use a wok) until completely cooked.

Step 2: Meanwhile, in a large saucepan combine 1 ½ cups water, lemon juice, orange juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. Blend well over medium heat for a few minutes. Stir in brown sugar, orange zest, ginger garlic, and onion. Bring to a boil.Step 3: Combine 3 tablespoons of cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water and mix thoroughly. Slowly stir cornstarch mixture into sauce until it thickens. Pour sauce over breaded chicken, and if desired add red pepper flakes and garnish with green onions. Enjoy.

2008-07-24T17:34:00.000-07:00

Darla put some wonderful pictures of her back yard on her blog. I thought I would show you what my backyard looks like.This is the view from my kitchen window. It was raining when I took the pictures but I think they still turned out all right. It is still a work in progress. I love all our trees. Beyond the trees you see is more woods. The boys like to play back there.

2008-07-24T16:52:00.000-07:00

The boys finished their summer driving course today. They still need a lot of practice but are doing really well. I am going to look into some more driving classes for them. John and I still are not comfortable with teaching them. I am so glad they are done with their classes. I am looking forward to sleeping in a bit. I have been getting up with John at five and then waking the boys up at six. Their classes were from 7:20-12:50. By the time I got them off ,cleaned the house ,and took care of Joy I was tired. The summer has flown by which makes me sad. I love having my boys home with me. John is going to try and get a few days off before school starts back so we can go do some fun things with the boys.

2008-06-25T12:42:00.000-07:00

I have been keeping busy. My parents are coming on Friday from Alabama. I am so looking forward to their visit. I had to put my dog Pepper down. She started going to the bathroom every where and didn't act like she was feeling well. I have had her since she was a puppy. She was thirteen years old. I will miss her. She was the best dog I ever had. On a happier note, dad and Ruth had us over for our anniversary and our birthdays. We had a great time:) Thank you so much dad and Ruth. Today I went grocery shopping, made a bunch of phone calls, and went and picked up the boys report cards. They did well!

Our Getaway

2008-06-19T17:40:00.000-07:00

I have had some stomach trouble lately. I just started feeling better. Here are some pictures of the resort John and I stayed at. We had a great time. It was very relaxing. We had our own private beach. Everyone else stayed near the pool. There were only two chairs down by the beach so it was perfect. We got a 25 minute massage every day and two meals included in our stay. Hey Ruth, I loved the movie Hairspray (I don't usually like musicals). I also really enjoyed Over Her Dead Body. The Bucket List was just ok.

2008-06-10T16:31:00.000-07:00

Today is my 39th birthday. John has been saying happy 29th to me:) You got to love him. I am watching Joy this week so we didn't go out today. I am also fighting sickness. My throat has been sore. I am praying it will go away. John and I are going away this weekend for our 18th anniversary. I really don't want to get sick. John went out tonight and brought me home three movies to watch and a feast to eat. He bought light cheddar cheese, port wine cheese, turkey sausage,fancy crackers, chicken, mash potatoes, stuff to make berry smoothies,eclairs for desert,and candles to put around the room. The movies he picked out are Over Her Dead Body(a comedy),Hairspray,and The Bucket List(not sure what is about but I love surprises). All movies he probably wouldn't like but knew I would. I hope you have a nice evening. I know I will.

2008-05-16T16:59:00.000-07:00

Things I have enjoyed lately:

I found this recipe on someones blog. It is delicious.

Yummy Jerk Chicken

1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper

2 1/2 lbs chicken pieces

Mix the marinade ingredients into a bowl and then pour over the chicken pieces. Allow this to marinate for a minimum of one hour or overnight. Grill your meat until it is done.

I really enjoyed this movie.

I don't have a picture but Chris made some wonderful pizza the other night. I was worn out from cleaning. It is so nice he is able to make some meals without any help:)

2008-05-16T03:26:00.000-07:00

This is how my table looks when I am working on coupon deals. Yes, it does eventually get cleaned up. Not always right away though:) I clean houses but don't always feel like cleaning my own. Right now I am living in a construction zone. It is driving me crazy. The kitchen is coming along nicely. John has been sanding and fixing the walls. Here is a picture of what the wall looked like before. I will post pictures of the finished product. Hopefully soon:)

No more rental finally!

2008-05-13T16:44:00.000-07:00

We finally got a new car. It has been a long day. John got off from work at noon to go car shopping. After a month of waiting on the insurance to kick in. Just yesterday our lease holder got the money. Today at 6:00 our car rental coverage was up (we had 30 days of coverage with our insurance). So we had to get the new car today. We got the rental back about ten minutes before it closed. We ended up leasing again. We were very happy with our lease before. We also really liked the Corolla so we ended up with another one. I love the red! It is a 2009 model. I actually wanted a 2008 but they didn't have any. We looked at used ones but there wasn't a whole lot of savings in buying used. We ended up getting the car for four thousand less than the actual value. So it was really great deal. Now I am exhausted. I am going to veg and watch American Idol.

2008-05-08T03:48:00.000-07:00

We have been busy lately. I took down all the wall paper in the kitchen and scraped off the popcorn ceiling. I will post pictures when it is all painted and pretty. Christopher turned fifteen April 26th and got his learner's permit. The boys are getting so big. I took Chris shopping for shoes yesterday. He wears a size 12! John only wears a 10 1/2. I took some pictures of the boys yesterday. I love the way they turned out.

Car issues

2008-04-23T16:38:00.000-07:00

You know it has been a while since you posted when you have to sign in to your account because it doesn't remember you. We have been dealing with car issues. Michael who is learning how to drive totaled our car and the car he hit. I know it was an accident but ouch on the cost. John and I were both in the car with him when he had the accident. No one was hurt. God was definitely watching over us. Needless to say John and I will not be teaching him. Hopefully he will be attending a driving course at his school this summer along with Chris. Chris turns 15 this Saturday and will be getting his learner's permit. Please pray for us:) Today I asked the insurance lady when the time comes how much will it cost to add the boys on our policy. She then proceeded to laugh at me and ask me if I really wanted to know. I guess the money I saved not having to buy all kinds of clothes for a girl will instead be spent on insurance. Now we have to decide whether to buy a new or used car or to lease one. The car we were driving was a lease vehicle and fortunately we did buy the gap insurance. Please leave a comment and let me know your opinion on a good car to buy or lease.

2008-04-09T18:03:00.000-07:00

I got spoiled when the boys had spring break. We slept in until at least 8:30 everyday. I also had no cleaning jobs. We had a great time on spring break. We got to visit friends, watch movies, and go to the mall. I wish it could have lasted forever:)(though I would probably weigh a ton if it lasted forever) I love having the boys home. So real life has struck. We are up again at 5:00 in the morning and getting back into the groove.

Some new art for my walls

2008-03-29T13:17:00.000-07:00

I found this picture that looks like an old sign in Kirklands and fell in love with it. Of course I got it on sale too. Half price it was $40.00 ! I know it was a splurge but I love it. It is hard to tell from the pictures but it is quit large.I found the little metal cross to put in my hallway at Old Time Pottery. The cross was on sale for $5.00.

For my mom

2008-03-27T18:58:00.000-07:00

Mom, the first is a picture I did a while back. The bird one is one I was working on today. I am not quite finished with it.

2008-03-27T12:40:00.000-07:00

Haven't forgotten I have a blog. I just haven't been in a blogging mood lately. Today was a very nice day. I got up at 5:00 to make lunches and got everyone on their way for the day. I went back to sleep after they left. I got to sleep till 9:00. It was very nice. I decided to go buy some jeans today. I was excited because they sell my favorite Rider jeans at Walmart or so I thought. I hate when they change things. I tried on about 20 pairs. Finally I found some I like. They are a little long so hopefully they will shrink a bit. They only had one pair in the store. So if they shrink a bit and I love them I will be going to other Walmarts to find them. I also found a cute pair of shoes. I have to go back and exchange them though. I picked up one shoe in a size 7 and one in a size 7 1/2. I tried on both sizes and some how got them mixed up. I am not big on clothes and shopping but there are certain things I love. I love my one pair of Riders that fit perfectly(they were a bargain deal at a thrift store), my big baggy robe (which I am in mourning over, I can't find it, I don't know how I lost my robe),and my flip flops from Old Navy (they have to be Old Navy they are the only ones I found that don't hurt between my toes). Yep I should be on the cover of Vogue! I did buy a new purse at a thrift store a few days ago. It still had the tags on it. I thought it was a bargain for $5.00. After a hard day of shopping I stopped and got a sub at Subway to bring home. Since I have been home I have playing on the computer and watching tv while eating my sub. Life is good. One more thing John put new panels in my kitchen cabinet doors. The people who lived here before us cut out the panels and replaced them with chicken wire. Not really my taste so I am so glad John fixed them.

2008-03-13T17:19:00.000-07:00

We have been feeling better lately. Yesterday Michael drove down to the Cumberland Farms. I told him as a reward he could get a slurpee and any snack he wanted from the store. You know he picked a big bag of donuts. That's my boy! Today he drove to and from one of our favorite Mexican restaurants. Yes, we were in traffic and everything and I lived to tell the tale. He is doing so well. I am very proud of him.

2008-03-04T17:10:00.000-08:00

I cleaned a house today. I didn't go to Bible study. I knew I couldn't handle doing both. When I came home I crashed. I slept for about three hours. I know my body is fighting sickness. Michael stayed home today. Please pray he gets better soon. He is still running a fever. He really doesn't want to miss school. It is hard to make up the work. Chris is still doing fine. John still has a cough. He went to work the whole time he was sick. He is such a hard worker. I really appreciate that about him.

2008-03-04T02:49:00.000-08:00

Things have been busy around here. John was sick for about three weeks and is just now starting to get over it. Michael is not feeling well today. So far Chris and I are fine so far. I will post more soon.

2008-02-22T03:17:00.000-08:00

Another reason I love my new house. I have always wanted my children to be able to play with neighborhood kids. Unfortunately it wasn't safe in our old neighborhood. They never even got to ride their bikes where we use to live. Here they are living it up. They ride their bikes,go to friends houses,play basketball (we have a cement drive way, I was excited about that,I love basketball),and the newest thing building forts. We have woods behind our house. Doesn't this look like fun?

2008-02-20T18:36:00.001-08:00

I love this outfit!

Fishing Fun!

2008-02-18T17:49:00.000-08:00

2008-02-18T17:19:00.000-08:00

We had a great day today. I took the boys fishing. They had the day off from school. It was a little over cast. Just a gorgeous day to fish. We stopped at the produce stand on the way to the lake and bought cane poles and bait. We also bought chocolate milk, bananas and cinnamon buns to eat. You know the breakfast of champions:) They didn't catch any fish but had a lot of fun trying. As you can see I am really enjoying my new camera.

2008-02-16T16:40:00.001-08:00

We spent the day watching movies and being lazy. John has been sick for the last couple of days. I just started feeling not so great. Hopefully it won't last to long. We watched Martian Child and No Reservations. I liked both of them.

2008-02-14T15:18:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of my new camera. It is one of those real thin ones. It is a pretty pink color.

2008-02-14T14:36:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day!

2008-02-14T13:28:00.001-08:00

John got me a new camera for Valentine's Day! As you can see I still need practice with the camera. Darla, here is my front flower bed.

Michael and his learner's permit

2008-02-10T18:24:00.000-08:00

I got the image part of blogger to work! I am a proud mama.

2008-02-10T18:05:00.000-08:00

We have been very busy. John finished our water treatment system (minus the softener) this weekend. His dad was so sweet to come over and help. I am very happy that our water won't be yellow and smelly any more. I hated trying to clean the yellow lines in our toilets. What a pain. Michael got his learner's permit on Friday. We are so proud of him. He really didn't want to get it. We had to push him to get it. Once he passed he told me that maybe one day he will get a motorcycle license. I asked him if he wanted me to die of a heart attack. He gained a lot of confidence. He went from not wanting to drive to wanting a motorcycle license. I wanted to add a picture of Michael and his permit but for some reason the image adding button is not working. Is anyone else having a problem with it?

2008-02-05T15:56:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning not feeling so well. I hope it is just allergies. Fortunately I don't have any where I have to go tomorrow so I can just take it easy. I have cleaning jobs on Thursday and Friday. I was up at 5:00 like always. I had to go to a Zero Tolerance class from nine to noon. It is one of the requirements for caregivers. It was an easy class without a test so I was glad since I wasn't feeling to well. When I got home I slept until John got home. When he came home we ran out to pick up a new end table I found at a thrift store. My other end table was a real pain to clean and I really didn't like the style. I love the wood pattern on the top of this one.

2008-02-03T15:54:00.000-08:00

In the post under this one I put some of my favorite sites. If you would like I could list exactly each week how I got the deals. Every weekend I go to CVS and get free stuff. I have a one time invest of about $15.00 and I have been able to reuse that money over and over again with their extra care bucks program. To learn more about this visit Crystal's site she has a section called cvs 101 on her side bar.Here is the link: http://www.moneysavingmom.com/ Please let me know by leaving a comment if you want me to post how I got the deals.

I LOVE COUPONS!!!!

2008-02-03T14:20:00.000-08:00

Some of the free samples I have gotten. We used alot already.

Free stuff I got today at CVS using my coupons.

Some free stuff I got. I got tired of pulling it out of the cabinet! There is tons more. I just wanted brag a little.

If you know me at all you know I like to use coupons. So I thought I would share with you some of my favorite sites. The first list is blogs people have. They post good deals, freebies,ect.

http://www.imommies.com/ This is one of my favorites.

http://blog.handmadebycole.com/

http://atime4everythingblog.blogspot.com/

http://bargainshopperlady.com/

http://bethriftylikeus.blogspot.com/

http://dealseekingdiva.blogspot.com/

http://dearestjessica.blogspot.com/

http://frugalfinds.blogspot.com/

http://frugalupstate.blogspot.com/

http://homeschoolingfour.blogspot.com/

http://www.mommygetspaid.com/

http://www.moneysavingmom.com/ This one is great for learning how to get good deals at cvs and walgreens.

http://freebies4mom.blogspot.com/ This one lists a lot of freebies and samples.

http://www.momadvice.com/blog/index.htm

http://mygoodcents.net/

http://www.simplythrifty.com/

http://supermomonline.blogspot.com/

http://thriftyfloridamama.blogspot.com/

http://www.thriftyfun.com/

http://tipsandtreasures.blogspot.com/

http://wisdoms-way.blogspot.com/

http://centsibleshopper.blogspot.com/

This is a site where you can find what coupons match whats on sale at the store:

http://couponmom.com/ It also has a coupon data base to look up where to find the coupons for the things you want to buy. It takes a little bit to learn how to navigate the site but it is worth the effort. You do have to sign up but it is free.

This is a site that is like a chat board for good deals:http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/index.php also have to sign up for but it is free

If you don't understand how to get these sites to work leave a comment and I will help you.

Things I have gotten for free:

movie tickets for John and I (we saw Juno before it came out)

tons of CVS stuff

free house plant from Lowes

free items from Sears

free pie from Burger King

free razors

tons of free samples

free makeup

dog treats

tons of FREE groceries (like 21 jars of Tostitos cheese dip,23 bottles of gatoraid, $60.00 worth of Juicy Juice) Yes I did say FREE!

and much much more.

2008-02-02T19:24:00.000-08:00

John had to work today. He came home very tired. He did alot of digging today. Not fun at all. The boys and I worked on his shed. I am very happy with what we got accomplished. John and I soaked in the hot tub tonight while watching a episode of Friends. We wish you were here Ben and Gina soaking with us:) I think we will stay home from church tomorrow so John can get some rest. All in all it was a pretty good day.

a few pictures

2008-02-01T20:18:00.000-08:00

I promised a few pictures. I know I got one of the floor twice. Sorry about that. I am tired. I am pleased with how the bedroom turned out. When we started there was a concrete floor, a hole in the ceiling and a big track on the ceiling for lifting a person who is in a wheel chair. We have a very nice bathroom off of the bedroom and on one wall John has a keyboard and his guitars hanging up. I will have to show a picture of that. I ment to click that one but hit the floor one twice. Well, thats it for now. Off to bed goodnight.

Fun date with my sweetheart!

2008-02-01T19:51:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note. John and I went out on a date tonight when the boys were at youth group. We watched the movie 27 Dresses. It was pretty cute. We ate at Sobiks. John took me to Kirklands to look around and Bed Bath and Beyond. We had a wondefull time! I think we will go out more often on dates.

2008-01-31T16:50:00.000-08:00

I did get dress today but not till about 10:00. I know I am pathetic. I must have some kind of beacon that tells people that I am in my pjs. Today the UPS guy came to the door. I kept yelling I was comming. Why is it your robe is so hard to put on when you are in a hurry. Finally he gave up and just left the envelope. It wasn't even for me. I want to know why he just didn't leave it in the first place. No he had to put me in panic mode. I have to say I was up at 5:00. That is when I am usually up. I just don't have to clean houses this week. John finally put pictures from his camera on my computer. There will be some in my next post.

2008-01-31T03:00:00.001-08:00

I had a nice relaxing day yesterday. I stayed in my pjs all day. Well, I shouldn't say all day. For about 30 seconds I changed into my sweats. You see I had to check the mail. I put my robe over my pjs and was going to put bills in the mail box. As I popped my head out I realized it was early day from school and someone was sitting in their car on the corner right by my house to pick up their child. So, I quickly went back in the house not wanting my neighbors to know how lazy I am. So I threw on my sweats and put a sweater over my pj top. As I went to go out the neighbor in the vehicle yelled you didn't have to get dressed for me. Not embarassing at all!

Beautiful baby!

2008-01-28T18:15:00.000-08:00

I figured out how to post the pictures Ruth emailed me. Thank you Ruth!
Proud papa Ben and Atalie

Atalie and I

Atalie,me and jealous Maxie

She fell asleep in my arms. Isn't she beautiful!

2008-01-24T02:17:00.000-08:00

Sorry, I know I said I would post. I have been busy bargain shopping. Here is a picture of my little sweat shop. The boys were clipping coupons for me.

2008-01-13T20:08:00.000-08:00

Ben and Gina are coming to visit for the week. They will arrive tomorrow. I am so excited. John and I have been working on some projects around the house. We fixed up the flower beds in the front of the house. I love the way it turned out. I promise pictures soon. I think instead of waiting on John to load them on the computer I will take some pictures with my camera tomorrow and post them tomorrow. His camera takes better pictures but is complicated when it comes to putting them on the computer. Other than the projects life has been ordinary. I am enjoying the ordinary. I had a great time hanging out with the kids during their holiday break. We have some great memories now of the first Christmas in the new house. The Christmas pictures are also on John's camera. I really need to get him to teach me how to load them. That's pretty much whats been going on here.

2008-01-03T12:44:00.000-08:00

Is it wrong to eat chocolate while watching the Biggest Loser?

New Years Day

2008-01-03T11:42:00.000-08:00

We had the Harpers over on New Years day. We played Wii , ate too much, and soaked in the hot tub. It was a great time! I will post Christmas pictures soon. They are on John's camera.

BEHOLD

2008-01-03T11:34:00.000-08:00

BEHOLD the beauty of my new dishwasher. I am so excited! I am so sick of hand washing dishes. This is my Christmas gift. It was installed today.

2007-12-24T05:07:00.000-08:00

I hope you all are having a wonderfull holiday!

More Alabama pictures

2007-12-11T03:18:00.000-08:00

We stopped to take pictures of an old covered bridge. What can I say my family is weird!

That's my dad!

This cute Christmas wagon was in front of someones house.

My sister and I in our matching shirts. She could be my daughter. We look alike.

I took mom and the boys to a mexican restaurant while John and my dad went out together. I am so blessed that John and dad get along so well. I think my parents like him more than me!

John helped dad put a remote control in his fan. Doesn't John looked thrilled?

John and I at the covered bridge.

the covered bridge

Alabama part one

2007-11-30T03:46:00.000-08:00

We are all feeling much better now. The boys went back to school yesterday. It is hard to get back to real life when you have had a nice break. On the way to Alabama we got to see the changing of the leafs. It was beautiful. Those pictures are on John's camera. I will post them soon. While we were there we went to a beautiful park where John did a little rock climbing. There were no guard rails in the last picture you can see how far down it was. The second picture is Rebecca and dad. Can you believe how big she is! She is almost as tall as Chris. She is ten years old now and a lot of fun. More pictures to come soon!

2007-11-27T08:23:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful time on vacation. We have had head colds since we have been home. I was so glad we didn't get sick at my parents. I had to pick up the boys from school today and I haven't felt to good. I will be posting pictures from our trip soon. For now I think I will rest some more. I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving!

2007-11-16T18:04:00.000-08:00

We are on our way tomorrow morning to see my parents in Alabama. We will be there for Thanksgiving. I am very excited. Please pray that we have a safe trip. I will take pictures and post them when I get back. I need to get to bed. We are leaving early in the morning.

Making wonderful memories

2007-11-08T06:26:00.000-08:00

Last night we ate our dinner out on the screened in porch. It was gorgeous out. John started a fire in the fire pit and the boys roasted marshmallows. While they were roasting the marshmallows I came in the kitchen to do the dishes. We had the windows open and I was enjoying listening to the boys laugh. John came up to the window right by the sink with a big smile on his face. I asked him whats up and he said he was just enjoying the view. After seventeen years he can still make me melt. Isn't he the sweetest! I am thankful for evenings like last night that make such wonderful memories.

Things I am thankful for

2007-11-05T17:14:00.000-08:00

Lately I have been down in the dumps. So I have decided to focus on my blessings. Here are some random things:

The boys had a Thursday and Friday off a couple of weeks ago. We had a blast eating pizza and watching movies.

John has been working very hard on our bedroom. It is coming along and looking lovely. I will post pictures when it is done.

I was overwhelmed by my Bible study homework. John spent some time to work on it with me. He is so sweet!

I got some great bargains at the grocery store today.

We will be going on vacation soon to see my parents in Alabama (we will be there for Thanksgiving)

I received Atalie's birth announcement in the mail today. She is beautiful!

John bought me new dishes for my china cabinet. He also got me a new pressure cooker.

We got a riding lawn mower at a yard sale for $125.00. I had a lot of fun watching John ride it. Then he taught the boys how to drive it.

I will post more thankful thoughts soon.

2007-10-19T18:05:00.000-07:00

Today we put the bars back on the windows of the old house. We had to take the bars off for the inspection. We told the lady that bought the house we would put them back on for her. I am so glad to be completely done with the old house. We paid off our credit cards. We have not been credit card debt free since we have been married. It is such a great feeling. We plan to buy flooring for our bedroom soon and some new tires for John. We have been so busy that we haven't got to go shopping for stuff for the house yet. Tomorrow I may go to garage sales in the morning if it doesn't rain. One of the neighborhoods near by is having a community yard sale. Also I plan on taking the boys to pick out a pumpkin. It should be a nice relaxing day. We may do a little work on the house.

WE CLOSED ON THE HOUSE!!!!

2007-10-16T19:11:00.000-07:00

Just a quick but happy note! We closed on the house around 5:30 today! I am so tired. I will write more soon. Thank you so much for all your prayers.

Doing better!

2007-10-12T09:32:00.000-07:00

I just read my post below and realized how pathetic it sounded. I called John to talk to him. I have a wonderful husband. I told him I didn't want to be depressed all weekend. He was thinking the same thing. We have been through hard times together before. I love how we work together when things get tough. I am truly blessed.

2007-10-12T07:29:00.000-07:00

I got all ready to go this morning. I was so ready to celebrate. Counting down the hours. John called me and told me it won't happen until Monday or Tuesday. The government won't issue a check on Fridays. So down payment assistance will issue it on Monday and have it couriered over. I am having a hard time with this. Please pray for me. I am at the end of my rope. I know it will still happen.

closing date,speeding ticket,and religious stove

2007-10-10T15:19:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted for so long. I have several little tidbits to share. First the best news. We are closing on our house Friday at 2:00. Praise the Lord. We are so happy. I will of course post when it is all done. Next on the list. I am a criminal. You heard me. I received my first speeding ticket.(after 20 years of driving I have to add) No I didn't cry. I wanted to when I saw the amount of the ticket. ($123.50) Apparently this is a reduced amount. Two miles more over the speed limit and it would have been over $200.00. Can you believe how expensive tickets are! My father in law says Seminole county needs money. They sure got some from me. Also I had to take a four hour course online to avoid getting points on my license. When they said four hours they meant it. I could have completed it in two. You are required to be on for four. At the beginning of the course it asks you all kinds of questions like did you graduate from high school, how many kids do you have,ect. It checks on you by asking these questions every so often. You have two minutes to answer the questions. So therefore you can't leave the computer. You can take breaks though and it saves your time. Thirty five dollars and four hours later I passed. I went down to pay the ticket today at the clerk of the courts office. When I got to the office there was no one else in line. I thought to myself this is nice. So I went up to one of the ladies behind the counter. She told me I had to get in line. She said stand by the sign until the next available person calls you. So I did.(I was totally amused at this point) And then a lady called me. Won't it have been easier for her to say go to the lady over there. After seeing the lady that called me I was sent back to the first lady to pay the ticket. I think this is just a fun game they like to play. Oh, I forgot to say they told me about a few famous people who had to come in and paid their tickets. Apparently Chris Rock was in today to pay his. Also some famous wrestler guy was there too. It was big doings at their office. Last but not least on my list of tidbits is that my stove is religious. I am not crazy it is. Today I went online to get an owner's manual. One of the settings it has is a "Sabbath setting". John asked does it push the buttons for you? No apparently that doesn't count as work. Actually you can set the program a head of time on another day. Still it won't carry the casserole to the oven for you:)

A little more waiting

2007-10-03T04:33:00.000-07:00

We will not be closing on the 8th:( Instead it will be the 15th or at the latest the 17th. My realtor assures me it is a sure thing. She said down payment assistance has a big pile of requests. They send out as many checks they can one day. Then they have to wait two days for funds to send out a bunch more. So it all depends on where our buyers request is in the pile. Hopefully our buyers request is near the top. She has already qualified for it so it is just a matter of time. Please continue to pray for the closing. We are sooo thankful for all your prayers.

Silly Stuff

2007-10-02T04:59:00.000-07:00

A while back John hurt his toe. The nail fell about a week ago. So last night we are in the car and John is trying to show it to me. Mind you I was driving. Here is John trying to shove his toe up in my face. He kept on saying you know you want to touch it. He was trying to rub his toe on my face. He can be such a dork at times. You gotta love him! I am just glad we didn't get pulled over for reckless driving.

2007-09-28T17:14:00.000-07:00

Hopefully we will be closing on the house Oct. 8th. Please pray that all goes well. I have been battling Vertigo for a few days now. If anyone has found something that helps please let me know. I bought a china cabinet and a desk the other day. I love them and they were both a great deal.My pictures don't do them justice. They look so nice. Today Angel was driving me crazy with "I got to go out!" This is what she did as soon as she got out. She is definitely John's dog. She needed her sun time much like John. I am a shade girl.

John's dream

2007-09-17T17:20:00.000-07:00

John was telling me about a dream he had. He said in his dream he was being chased by some men who wanted to kill him. Just as they had him surrounded and were going to kill him a man burst into the room. The man told him there was a problem with our other house.(like something needed to be fixed) I had to laugh. I asked him that was better than being killed right? He had to think about it!

2007-09-15T19:51:00.000-07:00

Thank you Jessica for the award. You are so sweet! I would like to give Darla and Gina this award. I am sorry I don't know how to put links in my post. Tricia I need your help.

2007-09-15T18:50:00.000-07:00

I am still not feeling well. Just a bad cold. John's dad came over and helped him with some projects. His dad is such a blessing! We are trying to fix things around here so we can keep our home insurance. Allstate sent us a letter saying they would cancel us. We have been with them for seventeen years. We bought this house as is so it does need work. They want us to fix our shed,siding on the porch,and roof above entrance way. These items won't have been tops on our list to fix. We asked them if they could just not cover the shed but they said no. I have heard they are trying to get out of Florida and will find anything they can to drop you. The list they sent was real vague. It also included that our dogs were a liability. I love my animals and will not get rid of them. Our husky looks tough but she is a big baby. We are waiting to hear back from them about the dogs and how much a factor they are. We may change companies. Now every time an Allstate commerical comes on John gets annoyed. Even if we switch companies we will still have to have an inspection. We are still waiting for a closing date on the house. We still have a buyer. John and I have decided we never want to move again. We are really loving the peace and quiet of our new neighborhood. If you think of us please pray for us.

Watch this! It is to cute!

2007-09-14T18:27:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uISuvTiTYJA
I don't know how to put the video right on my blog. You should watch this! If you are a parent or love kids you will love this.

Under the weather:(

2007-09-14T07:06:00.000-07:00

I have been sick for the last couple of days. I think something is going around. I read Ruth's blog and she is sick too. So far the boys and John have not got sick. Hopefully they won't. I spent yesterday watching Grey's Anatomy's the third season on the computer. I enjoyed it all the way till the last episode. I thought adding all the new characters was weird. My goal for today is to clean the toliets and wash the dishes. I miss my dishwasher soooo much:( I think I'll do the dishes now. I will blog more when I feel better.

2007-09-06T20:53:00.000-07:00

The 80's were great!

2007-09-06T20:50:00.000-07:00

Cup holder!! Sorry if this offends. I found this picture online. It cracked me up! Yes, I am still up!

Pretty Puppy

2007-09-06T20:40:00.000-07:00

I am still up and thought I would try Picasa for uploading my pictures.

2007-09-06T19:41:00.000-07:00

Happy puppy with her bling!

My $7.00 treasures from Walmart.

Resting

Stump burning and dinner.

Flowers from my sweetie!

I can't sleep so I thought I would blog. We get up at 5:00 every morning and this morning after everyone left I fell back a sleep. Now I know I can't let that happen again. It is now 10:45 and I can't sleep. Tomorrow will not be fun getting up. We have had our ups and downs lately. The boys are enjoying school and are doing well. The house is still not sold yet. We were told the other day it will take a month more. Please continue to pray for the sale of the house. We still have a buyer so praise the Lord! John's work is going well. I have been cleaning houses and taking care of Joy. I do love my schedule. Tonight John took me to Walmart. I got a real bargain on some craft stuff. All of it for $7.00. We have enjoyed talking about what we will do to the house when we get the money. It is fun to dream. In November we hope to go to see my parents. They have moved from Mexico to Alabama. Their new house sounds so nice. I can't wait to see it.

2007-08-31T14:24:00.000-07:00

Check out Ben and Gina's blog. Gina had her baby!

2007-08-22T18:28:00.001-07:00

Just remember........if the world didn't suck, we'd all fall off.
This just cracked me up!

2007-08-18T14:36:00.000-07:00

John took Friday off so we could have another family day. We had a great time! We went to this bakery(Bruno's gourmet kitchen) that we heard wonderful things about. It was good. We then went to some yard sales. I found some prizes for my Sunday school class. I also found a cute cabinet for my bathroom. As you can see from the pictures of the bathroom I am not done painting it yet. The boys found a tiny pool table. Chris had a lot of fun playing with John. Today we FINISHED fixing the list of items on our old house from the inspection. I am soooo happy about getting it done. Now we have to get the FHA inspection done. It should be no problem passing it. We are not sure when the new date for closing is yet. Our realtor said it would only be slightly delayed. Our original closing date was Sept. 9th. We are definitely feeling much less pressure and stress. Soon when we get money from the sale of the old house we will be able to focus on our new house and get things done in it. Life is good.

We had a great day!

2007-08-15T18:52:00.000-07:00

We had a great time today. We went to DeLeon Springs and ate breakfast at the Sugar Mill. John and the boys cooked the pancakes while I sat back and watched. We swam for a while. On the way home we stopped at a few thrift stores. I found a light weight blanket for my bed for $1.99. Then for lunch we ate at ElPotro.

2007-08-14T03:32:00.000-07:00

We were told yesterday that the buyer for our home is going through a new lender. That means it will take longer to close. At first I was a little upset but it does give us extra time to get things done that are on the inspector's list. Also timing wise we still would have had to make the extra payment with the earlier closing date. I have not heard yet when the closing will be. So, more waiting. Hopefully all this will work out this time. Please pray that we will not get discouraged. The boys got their schedules yesterday. They ended up in the same p.e. class. I thought that was cool. They were excited about it. They will catch the school bus at 5:57 am. That means they will have to get up at 5:00 am. I told them I would drive them in the morning but they want to ride the bus. I got them a few new clothes for school yesterday. It is so nice to not have to buy uniforms. They were so exspensive. I am fortunate too that my boys are easily pleased with clothes. They don't have to have the brand names. I do try to find brand names at thrift stores and Ross. I think we are all set for school. I will take some pictures of them on their first day before they leave for school. Tomorrow John is going to take the day off so we can go to the springs and play. We are very excited about having a family day of fun. Thank you for all your prayers.

2007-08-10T15:48:00.000-07:00

I felt like my old self today. I got up early and went and cleaned a house. We are still trying to work through all the house selling stuff. Please continue to pray for us. Tomorrow John , the boys, and his dad will go work on the old house. That means me all alone in this house. It will be nice to get things cleaned up around here without anyone in the way.

Michael's Birthday pictures

2007-08-09T19:18:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from Michael's birthday. They are out of order. As you can see we had a great time. The picture of John on his back is when he was resting up before the party:) Chris made the birthday cake for Michael.

2007-08-09T12:08:00.000-07:00

How do you like my new look? Please leave a comment. I can't decide if I liked it better before. I was trying to go for a more cheerful look.

2007-08-09T11:17:00.000-07:00

I am feeling so much better today. Thank you for your sweet comments. Today Michael is 16 years old. I can't believe how time has flown by. I am so very proud of him. He is turning into a wonderful young man. I will post some birthday pictures later. Tonight we are taking him to Walmart to pick out a bike. I am making him lasagna. Grandpa and grandma will come over later for some cake. It should be a nice evening.

2007-08-07T04:28:00.000-07:00

I have been under the weather since Sunday night. My fever broke this morning. Now all I need is for the stomach ache to go away. We got the list of repairs that needs to be done on our old house. The inspector was real tough on us. John got a bunch done last Saturday. On Sunday we also got some done. We have until the 17th to complete the list. John tried to go to the house after work yesterday but ended up be called back to work for some problem. We are a bit overwhelmed. John told me he wished he had gotten sick so he could take a break. Poor guy. I told him let me get better then he can get sick and I will take care of him. I think he is going to try to take a few days off. He really needs to.

Merry Christmas

2007-08-02T15:10:00.000-07:00

I had to have some fun today. The news is so depressing. Life can be depressing. So, the boys and I (including Nathan) made cupcakes and decorated them. While watching Christmas movies. I love Christmas it always puts me in a good mood.We had a great time today. Nathan even put on his Christmas hat! When John and I were first married and having a hard time we would have little Christmas parties. It didn't matter what time of year. We would set up a small tree, listen to Christmas music, and eat snack food. It does put you in a better mood.

THE WELL IS FIXED !!

2007-07-30T18:02:00.001-07:00

Check out the link below. I am so thankful all went well. John and I pulled the well. His dad helped put it back in. Thank you so much dad!

Check out our well pictures

2007-07-30T18:02:00.000-07:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/sparkdoc/BrendleSWell02

Reasons why I love my house

2007-07-28T18:17:00.000-07:00

I needed to remind myself. I am thankful for my new home. We will be pulling the well tomorrow. I will take pictures of the project. It should be interesting. Isn't my house nice! The area is so quiet! I love all the big trees.

2007-07-28T08:50:00.000-07:00

Life has been a bit rough around here lately. The people who were going to buy our home backed out. We do have another buyer though. We will not close on the house till Sept. 9th. So, that means no vacation like we hoped. We are trying to make the best of it and are very thankful that we have another buyer. We have had to make the double payment. We know that God knows our needs and is in control. Last night I went to take a bath and had no water. We have discovered we have well problems. We are not sure yet how to fix it. We do have water now but have to shut the breaker off after we use it to keep the motor from running all the time and burning up. Sorry to sound so pathetic. Please pray for us.

2007-07-19T17:20:00.000-07:00

Today I had a lot of fun. I spent the day at Evelyn's. We played Settler's of Cattan. She beat me two games to one. When I got home John was home. He needed to run to the office. So, I rode with him. After the office we had a date. We ate at El Potro. They have a very nice Mexican buffet there. Then we walked around Walmart. The Walmart here is better than the one in Orlando. It is not near as crowded. We hope to close on our house on the 3oth. God is definitely teaching us patience. On Wednesdays I will be taking care of a handicapped man. He is 32 years old and has schizophrenia. (John had to Google the spelling of that there is no way I would know how to spell it) He also has some learning disabilities. He is on medication and functions very well. He can read, count money, bowl, clean , and order things from a menu. I am sure he can do more than this. This is just what I observed. When he has an off day he will stay home with his mom. His mom is a real sweet heart(I think she may be a Christian). He is also very nice. Two days out of the month we will be at his house with his mom. Those two days he cleans and I supervise. The other two days we will go bowling, to the movies, shopping, or the library. I think this will be a very nice job. I think my schedule is full enough now. I will be working 14-16 hours a week. One day out of the week I will clean a house (I only have two cleaning jobs now Darla moved and so did Pat) ,one day I have Joy for five hours, one day I will take care of Ron for four hours, and one day I have Bible study. One of the cleaning jobs I can do after the Bible study. The cleaning jobs are every other week so it works out nice to have just one a week. I love that I can get my work done before the kids get home. God is good! I have not enrolled the kids in school yet. I am waiting for my new driver's license to come in the mail. In order to get my homestead exemption I need a driver's license with the correct address. To enroll the kids I either need a copy of the deed or homestead. I need to apply for homestead for next year any way. I decided to go with that. It costs to get a copy of your deed any way. Please pray for us that all of this will work out soon. It would be wonderful to close on the house and get the kids enrolled. After we close on the house we will go to visit Darla and Henry in Tenn. for a vacation. I can't wait. We are so ready!

2007-07-18T19:31:00.000-07:00

Tonight we tore down the mini bar between our kitchen and living room. We will need to replace the tile under the bar. I am very pleased with my new table I found. I have always dreamed of big Thanksgiving meals with plenty of room to sit. I am so excited.

2007-07-16T19:58:00.000-07:00

Sorry for not posting in a while. John's dad is great he got my laptop up and running. Thank you dad! We did not close today like we hoped. They want an extension till the 30th. I hate waiting. We have bought a few new things for the living room. John picked out the mirror over the tv stand(the mirror is gold colored not white). I picked out the picture over the sofa. I found the chairs and the end table at a thrift store. I found a dinning room table today that we will pick up tomorrow. I will post pictures of it soon. It is still a work in progress. Just ignore the extra junk you see in the pictures. I realized after I took the pictures there was stuff next to the chair. Oh well, I am tired I had a house cleaning job today. John is still working the long hours at least till Wed. One of the foreman decided he didn't want to be a foreman. So John is finishing his job that is way behind. That has been a bummer. We are enjoying the peace and quiet of

our new neighborhood. I am so thankful. I love my new house.

2007-07-05T05:43:00.000-07:00

We have had a fun couple of days. Tuesday night John, the kids and I went to the mall to walk around. We also went to World Market where I found some real nice curtains for the french doors. We ended the evening with watching Fly Boys. It was a pretty good movie. Yesterday we spent with John's parents. We had a blast. They came over for lunch. Then we played a game of Settler's of Catan. Which I won. That's always fun. We watched some tv on their projector and ate nachos for dinner.The evening ended with a soak in the hot tub. I have to say I feel like a spoiled rich girl when I soak in the hot tub. I am so glad John was able to fix the hot tub so easily. It had a few bad electrical connections. We have a very pretty view from the tub. In one direction is a bunch of beautiful trees. If you look the other way there is a fountain that lights up at night. Can you tell we are loving it here. The peace and quiet is so wonderful. The closing on the other house is still a go for July 16th. It would be so wonderful if it all went smooth. We don't have to make our first payment on this house till Aug.6th. That means if all goes well we won't have to make a double payment at all. Thank you for all your prayers. They mean so much to us.

2007-06-25T20:30:00.000-07:00

I don't function well in a mess! I have been working hard on unpacking. I am sorry I don't have any pictures of the house yet but will take some soon. My wireless router isn't working for some reason. So I am sitting at the desk working on this. I have gotten so spoiled with the lap top. This morning I had to use dial up to go online to pay my bills. Three hours later it was done. I am so glad John got the dsl working. I am sure I will love the house when we get it fixed up but right now it is a little overwhelming. We keep finding things that need to be fixed. John tried to hook up the washing machine tonight and was not able to because of a problem with the pipes. To quote a Friends line "I need to get out of the bitter barn and play in the hay". I am really enjoying the peace and quiet. The kids love being able to play in the neighborhood.
Some great news we got is we have a buyer for our house! They want to close on July 16th. Please pray that all goes well.

2007-06-15T18:09:00.000-07:00

We now own two homes. Don't we sound rich? I wish. I still haven't heard anything about the offer from the couple. Hopefully we will hear soon. I am dying of curiosity. The closing went well. We will be getting three hundred dollars back. That is nice. Every little bit helps. Also our mortgage payments were fifty dollars less than we expected. That was a nice surprise. We appreciate all your encouragement and your prayers. Thank you!

2007-06-15T11:29:00.000-07:00

Today we close on the house at 5:00. Last night my realtor called and said that the people that came by yesterday are preparing an offer. The realtor said it would be a unique offer. I asked her what that meant. She said she would just have to wait and see. She didn't know what it meant either. So, we are playing the waiting game on that. I will post as soon as I know something. I am very excited about getting an offer. Oh, I forgot to say the realtor said it would be our full asking price.

2007-06-14T11:40:00.001-07:00

A family came and looked at the house today. The husband and son were sold on it. The wife was a little hesitant. She thought it was smaller than the place they looked at before. The realtor was quick to point out that it had more square footage. On the way out I overheard them talking about the paper work. Oh, I hope the house sells. It would take so much pressure off of John and I. The closing costs were higher than we expected. We know God knows our needs. Please pray that all works out. Closing day is tomorrow. I will have Joy till late Saturday night. John might have to work on Saturday. I am glad we planned to move on the 23rd instead of this weekend. I will be so glad to get past the next couple of weeks.

2007-06-13T19:15:00.000-07:00

I am going stir crazy. Tonight I did get out of the house. I couldn't take it any longer. It had been five days since I left the house. Even the kids who don't usually want to shop went with me while John watched Joy. We went to Target. My goal was to get chocolate and energy drinks for John. I found chocolate on sale! On the way home we stopped at the video store. I rented Breach. It was not very good but we enjoyed the chocolate very much. I still have John's shed to pack. Maybe he will help me tackle that this weekend. Friday is the closing. I can't wait to get that over with. Please continue to pray for the sale of our house.