1. Maybe I should be.... doing bookwork.

2. I love....... sunny days on the beach.

3. People would say that I ..... think too much.

4. I don't understand...... SOOOO many things!

5. When I wake up in the morning..... I just want my coffee!

6. I lost....  all hope of completing these home repair/remodel projects anytime soon.

7. Life is full of...... twists and turns.

8. My past taught me.... that I will survive and that we are tougher than we think.

9. I get annoyed when.....  people whine and complain.

10. At a party I......  like to watch people.

11. I wish......we lived in the country.

12. Dogs......  are a wonderful thing.

13. Cats......  well, cats are cats.

14. Tomorrow.... is a busy day.

15. I have a low tolerance for.....  whining. Did I mention that?

16. If I had a million dollars..... I'd finish our house, fix up our church, help out my kids, travel on mission trips with the kids.

A Facebook friend recently let me know about Pandora.com internet radio. I LOVE this site. You simply type in the name of an artist you like and it will start playing songs that are musically similar. THEN, you can click the "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" on each song it plays to further fine-tune and allow it find your likes.

I started out by entering "Jack Johnson" and have been pleased with almost all the songs that have been pulled. This is a fun and FREE way to hear new music and find songs you might like. (I can't wait to add "Todd Agnew" and "Creedence Clearwater" stations to see what I get for them)

New music works for me! To see more Works for Me Wednesday tips visit Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer.

We're very proud of Brad and haven't updated about him in some time. He spent this last summer fighting fire for the DNR around Spokane, WA and was promoted to Engine Leader. He really enjoys this work, though it seems it's not an "undangerous" as I was initially led to believe. Here are some pics from this summer.

Apparently, they DO have time to stop and pose during work. lol (Most of these were taken with camera phones, so aren't high quality)

I thought this was a neat picture, with the light shining down like that.

When Brad got his evaluation he had great marks and a comment that he was their first interview choice, from 41 applicants!

Brad is now back at Eastern WA State Uiversity, finishing up his Criminal Justice degree, but seriously considering a switch to fire. He got hired on at the Cheney volunteer fire department and is getting paid to complete the rest of his fire training.

Last week, Brad applied to the cadet program, which would allow him to work with the police department. They usually like to hire students with two years of school left, so the fact that Brad only had one, was somewhat of a detriment. We weren't sure how much it would count against him. The department had four slots and forty applicants.

Brad made it! He should be starting work this week. He had planned to finish school in March, but will now take extra classes and take the last quarter, since he has to be in school to participate in the cadet program. That way he'll get a whole year of experience. His supervisor said he wanted to help him build a great portfolio and make sure he got a job upon graduation.

Congrats, Brad!!

I have a good friend with impeccable taste. It's always so fun to visit her house and just soak in the serenity and beauty. One of the things she does, is to always have a fully set dining table, with her pretty dishes out, and seasonal decor. In fact, she cracked me up because they are just building a new house and moving. She was not even close to moved in, with boxes everywhere, but had set up her dining table. You gotta love it! As she said, "Priorities!" lol

When I was at Walmart last week I found a tablecloth, napkins and napkin holders that I really liked and thought, "why not?" I'd purchased gold chargers on sale after Christmas last year and by everyday dishes matched just fine. (I have a large set with plenty left for everyday use) So I set up a "pretty" table that I plan to leave set.  I really enjoy walking in and seeing it each time I come in the door.

But the real added bonus?? NO ONE LEAVES PILES OF STUFF ON THE TABLE ANYMORE!! That was normally, the first place "stuff" would get dropped when someone came in the door. What a lovely solution to an annoying problem.

And we did use the table for Kevin's birthday. Brad will be home on Monday, for two days, and I think we'll use the dining table then as well. Gee...we might actually start using this room now!

Kevin turned 19 on the 16th and joined us for dinner with his girlfriend, Bethany.

This was taken post-dinner, hence the plateless chargers. And that Christmas hotpad was covered up during the meal. I promise. ROFL

Opening gifts...

....see, when you hit "adult land" you get "fun" gifts like towels and sheets!

Actually, we did get him a DVD player as well. But he was most impressed by this...

Wanna see a close-up? (We find this amusing because Kevin is hard to get to smile or show a lot of emotion, so this is way out there for him)

And just what is this amazing gift? An Alien ID card that Paige found when we visited Seattle and insisted I get it for Kevin. (It cost a whole $2.95) I guess I need not worry about him being too grown up yet. ;-)

For those of you, like me, that already have children out of the home, you already know. The time DOES go fast. Yep, that little old lady in the grocery store who smiled sweetly and assured you that you'd cherish this time (as you wiped the runny nose of one child and grabbed candy from another) was right! I know, you probably knew that, even if it did seem a bit hard to believe at the time.

But as #1 is finishing college and preparing to marry and #2  has been out of the home for over a year, the reality of those words hit home. They do make me better appreciate the time I have with the three that are still here.

Familyman Todd Wilson has a great post on this over on his website, titled Marbles Matter. It's geared to dads so you can pass it on to the hubby, but it's a good read for moms, too.

Here is the house now. I’m working on the left side so you can’t really tell. I can’t finish the window and door on the front because John still has the front porch torn up. Lol It won’t really look nice until we get the porch and rails done but those are relatively easy so I’m saving them and trying to wrap up this major stuff before we start school.

Oh! Ignore that couch on the porch. It's a giveaway but the "take me" sign blew off. lol I was able to buy a really nice leather sofa and club chair from a friend that is moving so this one has to go. It's older than my oldest (21) but still looks pretty nice. lol

Here is where I spent all weekend.

And that is VERY high. I’m going to have to rent something to finish the upper trim. I tried one more step on the ladder and it totally freaked me out. Lol

Here’s where I ended. Doesn’t look like 14 hours of work does it? (Yes, it was after 8 at night when I finished the second coat of trim on the window and took this) But the section to the right is all ready to be primed and painted which will go fast since there’s no windows or anything. It rained today so I couldn’t. On these boards, I have to first sand with a flat sander, then, they are beveled on the top and bottom, so I have to go back over the bevels with a smaller sander. It’s a pain in the patoot. Sanding takes FOREVER!

Here is how massive that side wall is. This back section is done (except for finding replacements for the insulation plugs) and now I’m starting back at the front. I’m ignoring the middle because that bay window makes it really hard to reach anything. Not sure what I’ll be able to get to there. If I can get this side done, and the back portion of the other side that’s left I’ll be happy. The back will be easy with the porches to stand on and it’s not in the weather so isn’t in as bad as shape. This was really the worst side as far as sanding and such.

We seem to have wasps all over the place this year. (You should see me trying to stop myself from jumping off the scaffolding to get away from them as they attack me while I'm painting the house!) Skylar has been stung twice and Paige once. Her whole hand was swollen for days.

The most recent sting was Skylars; right in the bridge of his nose. It hurt, but didn't look too awful at the time. Well...this is what he looked like the next morning. Poor kid!

As you can see, it didn't seem to bother him too badly. I think he actually thought it was cool. In fact, I forgot all about it and sent him to the store for bread looking like that. I asked later if it bothered him and he said, "nope!". Now, I'm pretty sure his sister would have locked herself in the house, had it been her.

Ha! I just remembered that when we took my hubby on a train ride for Father's Day last year, they were shooting a video. (At the time I wasn't thrilled and was trying not to be in it!) I just checked the site and it's there. I'm in the first people shot, pointing something out to Brayden. Then, later, Paige talks while I pointedly look the other way. lol Brayden is practically asleep lying on me. :-)

Kind of silly, but fun. Since I live in the West, I guess it worked for me. What about you?

I had to run in to town to check out a family surprise. (I'll get to that later) but made a quick stop at Rite-Aid for the following Free-After-Rebate items.  Amazingly, they were all in stock. If you stop in and they're not, ask for a Rain Check and pick them up next week. The Monthly Rebate will still be good. Simply buy your items then go to www.riteaid.com and click on the box that says Single Check Rebates. Sign up and you can simply enter the store number and register number from your receipt and they'll automatically credit you for the items you purchased. At the end of the month, simply request your check. I've even forgotten to request my check and they sent an email letting me know that they requested it for me! Today I got the below items which will be totally free for me!

Organix shampoo $5.49

Herbal Essence Long Term Shampoo $2.99 (in yummy raspberry, for my daughter)

And a disposable camera with flash $10.99 that I will give to my eight year old as part of his birthday goodies.

Nearly $20 in goodies for nothing but tax.  YAY!!

And now for the reason I went to town.....

The adorable little sweetie in the front is ours and will be ready to come live with us around July 4th. We have one Shih Tzu and I've been wanting another for awhile. However, the kids had no idea I was looking and are totally shocked and extrememly excited.

In this case, it's brotherly love that's blind.

The kids had some friends over the other afternoon and I overheard this conversation between Skylar and his friend.

"You should have been here two days ago because my older brother and sister-in-law were here. Well, she's not OFFICIALLY my sister-in-law because they're not OFFICIALLY married, but she's going to be my sister-in-law."

(What, are they "unofficially" married??!!)

Then:

"My older brother and I look EXACTLY alike. I look just like him. Well, except that his face is WAAAY longer than mine."

This cracks me up because these two look NOTHING alike. They're likely the most opposite-looking in the family. One is dark and round faced, the other light and long faced. Brown hair & brown eyes vs. blonde hair and blue eyes. Not a similar feature between them. The thing is, Skylar looks up to his big brother so much and identifies so closely with him  that he thinks he looks just like him. I thought that was just the sweetest thing.

For Cub Scouts, that is....

Somehow, my offer to "help" with Scouts this year transformed into me being den leader for the Tigers/Wolves/Bears den. Even that would have been OK, but unfortunate leadership issues turned that into a most unpleasant experience. As it was, I was literally counting down the meetings until it was over.

I hate feeling that way about a committment, especially something that I think can be such a positive experience for the boys involved.

I'm struggling with what to do next year, as well. My boys really like Scouts. Skylar will be moving on to Webelos and won't be an issue, but Brayden won't. I really don't want to lead in similar circumstances next year and I don't know that there's anyone willing to take over.  Anyhoo....this year is down and I am relieved! lol

Here are the boys in our yard. Yes, I could have made sure Skylar's shirt was properly buttoned but, hey, that's real life!

And here are the boys waiting for the Veteran's Day Ceremony. Skylar is the second from the right and Brayden is third from the left.

Things have been so crazy lately I just haven't had time to make it over here to blog, though I keep nothing things I need to share. But now there's news big enough I HAD to make time.

We're getting another daughter!! In a family of four boys and one girl, this is a big deal! Not to mention she's already potty trained! (Sorry, Joelle)

Actually, I'll be getting a daughter-in-law next spring. The engagement is now official. Parental permission was granted, the ring was bought, the event was planned, all without Joelle knowing. And we're all blessed that she said "yes". Of course, with a great guy like Brad..... lol

Joelle is wonderful! Real, honest, fun, easy-going. I told Brad I couldn't have picked someone better myself. We're thrilled for them. And Paige and I will love having another girl in the family!

This policy is valid from 19 February 2008

Seriously, I think I've finally solved an ongoing problem between the hubs and I. You see, he has a habit of writing checks and not telling me the amount, number, etc. Often I'll hear, "Well, I put the receipt on the table. I thought you'd see it. " Yeah, right. I'm supposed to know that one receipt in a pile of newspapers, trash and other paper debris is supposed to have some significance for me. I think not. The other annoying option would be for hubs to announce, "Oh, the pizza was $13.42." This was declared as I'm dialing the phone to call someone or we're driving somewhere, or whatever. I'm then left trying to hold this number in my head until I can get it recorded. (And, to be honest, this makes me grumpy)

Wanna know the solution? A solution that is truly WORKING!!??

While reading all the productivity blogs the other day, I kept coming across Jott.com  It appears you can use your cell phone to "jott" someone, which will then leave them an email or text message. I didn't really "get" how it would be all that useful. However, once I set up Toodledo I found that you can sync Jott to it so that it will send an email right to Toodledo. (I label it "to do" in Jott because Jott has a hard time identifying Toodledo with it's voice recognition software. They say you can also enter it as "two-duhl-doo" so that it's phonetic) Anyhoo....I can now use my phone to have a reminder immediately emailed to my system whenever I think of something. I tell my phone to call "Jott" and when it asks who I want to Jott I say "to do". I leave the message and come home to find it in my Toodledo system ready to be categorized. Cool!

OK, so here's the really neat thing! I set up dh's phone with Jott and entered me as his contacts (with my email). Now, whenever he buys something he simply tells his phone to "call Jott" and to Jott "Deena" (again, had to make it phonetic in Jott, not Dena). Then he says, "Wrote check # 7418 for $12.53 at Home Depot. Soon, I receive an email with that message. Right where I need it and can easily record it.

THAT works for me! For more great tips visit Rocks in My Dryer

Oh my! This is really good!

With a completely crazy schedule, I've been considering how I can sneak in some bulk cooking, like I used to do. I was certain I didn't have an entire day to devote to it, like I used to.

Last week extra lean ground beef was on sale so I picked up 20 lbs. I then found a few simple recipes and made sure I had ingredients.

Night One: I made a Beefy Tortilla Bake for dinner and two more for the freezer. While these were cooking I also assembled three Tater Tot Casseroles for the dinner. Altogether, it probably only took a bit over an hour and we had dinner and five meals for the freezer.

We had several nights with various activities, being gone for dinner, etc. One night I ended up getting into the hamburger stash and making....hamburgers. Go figure!

Night Four: I HAVE to deal with the rest of this hamburger. Tonight night I made Salisbury Steaks in gravy for dinner (with stuffing & peas) and make two more bags (browned and ready to heat w/gravy) for the freezer. (I brown the 20 freezer meal patties while we eat our dinner. I just have to get up and flip them a couple times. ) Two more meals stocked away and it only took a few extra minutes.

OK, I'll admit it. I wrapped up the rest of the ground beef and put it in the freezer. There are probably four pounds left. I'll pull it out for sloppy joes or meatloaf soon. I just couldn't keep it in the fridge any longer.

Still, I'm pleased. I managed to have seven dinners in the freezer and only spent maybe 30-40 minutes more than I normally would have. Works for Me!

For more helpful tips visit Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer!

This week on WWFM we are supposed to ASK for advice rather than give it. (Somewhat of a bummer since I had my post all ready and waiting in my drafts! But it can wait another week)

Brad (eldest son) Stop reading now and go do your schoolwork!!

My question is about Christmas gifts. I've found that as kids get older they get increasingly difficult to buy for. So, what are some great ideas for 18 - 21 year old boys?

Thanks in advance! And if you have more advice to offer hop on over to Shannon's.