I Almost Lost Them

I have to say, I have often been guilty of taking my computer memory for granted! I have been trying to find a way to get my computer to work faster. So I dumped all of my photo's onto a memory stick. Mind you, it was working great, but I never felt too comfortable deleting the files completely off of my hard drive. Yeah, I know, it defeats the whole purpose...but it was a good thing. Today I needed one of the photo's, so I stuck the memory stick into the port, and you know what...it didn't work! Phew! So I hurried to my recycle bin and restored all of my photo files back to their original space! You never can be too sure about the safety of your photos!!

Moving

Tomorrow I will be spending the day helping a neighbor friend pack up her house following a divorce. The whole situation is sad, especially with her having kids. So the least I can do is head over and help her pack some boxes. She is luckily having movers come in on Tuesday to pack up all of her furnishings and things until her apartment is ready to move into the end of May. I was happy to hear there were movers coming because she's got some really heavy things. She got the huge TV in the divorce as well as her refrigerator, platform beds, and all of her dining room furniture. I really wouldn't be able to help much with the heavy stuff, so we'll leave that to them! I'm a little worried about my own house. It's in dire need of de-cluttering, and I'll be spending yet another day out of the house. Not a good thing!!

Moving Quick, Again

We just found out that more of our neighbors are moving. New York movers will be here on Monday to clear them out. What makes this, and the previous three moves, so strange is the fact that we find out about the move 3 days before it happening. This one is at least going on at a normal time. The last three all moved out at midnight, and only 2 days after they told us they were moving. We just moved here, and we gave all of our neighbors a few months notice before moving. I'm just confused as to how you keep it a secret for so long and then just up and move? Or is it just as surprising to them as it is to us?

Living Plain

I watched a show on TV last night about a family of 13. They were a very peculiar family to me but not because of how plainly they lived. What was strange was that they were happy! Mind you, they may have edited out the discord, but the entire show was just very much centered on how great they all get a long. They don't have much in the way of money, but they honestly don't appear to need it. They have a ton of farm animals, but don't use them for their milk and eggs, hmmmm, I would at least do that!

The oldest child was 21, but looked 16, and the baby is 18 months old! That's a huge rainbow of ages. They do drive a big green van, but if that breaks down, they will need to find a bus for sale!

All 11 of the kids were smart, sweet and talented. I'm not saying I want to move out to the middle of nowhere and live the plain life. But they looked happier than most people I've met in my life!

Branson Fun!!

My in laws are heading South this next weekend! Heading off to some Branson resorts. I've never been to Missouri, other than to an airport for refueling, but they didn't let us off of the plane, so I don't think that counts. There are amazingly fun things going on in Branson, and before we move West again, I would like to see it!

Failed Again

My father in law just went in for a stress test last week. What was strange about this stress test is that they actually let him go home. They never do that. He is usually sent immediately to a room in the hospital with an angioplasty set up for that evening or the next day. We thought this was great because it meant that he finally passed a stress test!

Wrong!

He was called this morning and admitted to the hospital for a angioplasty. He's not that old,64, but had a quintuple bypass about 15 years ago. I'm not sure how much time he has left but I do think it's time to get some life insurance quotes. I don't mean a million bucks, but enough to cover the costs of his final requests. It's not a bad idea to get it for my husband either. He's not even 40 yet, but hey, it's all in the genetics right?

Don't Mess With Texas!!

My aunt just returned from a trip to Texas. I've been to Texas twice in my life, well, I've been to the Houston airport and we spent the night in Dallas after we took a bump flying home. I've always wanted to see Texas. I've heard great things about San Antonio. I would love to see Austin. Texas is too big to see all in one trip--but see it I plan to do! I wouldn't mind looking into Corpus Christi real estate. A home away from home--but only after the first home is paid off!

My Birthday Wish

My husband has been asking lately what I would like to get for my birthday. Normally I'm pretty easy. I want pillows. Not just any pillows though, mine cost about $75.00 and are made of down. This makes them plushy and snuggly! This year however, I think I'm leaning toward a down comforter to go with all of my plushy pillows. Truly, I've never slept better than with these pillows. There are nights when my husband beats me to bed, and I will come in and he's stolen my fluffy pillows. I don't have the heart to steal them back, but it really isn't a very good nights sleep. Of course, it doesn't help that I'm cursing him under my breath!

Zits & Freckles

Do you remember being a teenager with the face of a teenager? I had some acne problems as well as freckles. Both, I was told, would go away as I grew older. Well, I'm nearing 40 and still use an acne treatment every week or so. I'm sorry, but just how old do I have to get? To much older and I'll just be able to hide the zits in the wrinkles of my skin so that my grandkids won't be able to see them!

Getting Old

My parents just got into town this evening! It's always fun to see them even though it is starting to take a toll on my mom. My dad is 14 years older than she is and really seems to have the health and longevity of his dad, who passed away at 96 years old, and even then his body was young but due to Alzheimer's his mind was gone. So we are hoping to have many wonderful years with my dad!

I've Nailed It Down

A post or two back I wrote about finding a huge discount on home theater stuff, well today, I found home theater chairs at a whale of a bargain as well! All I can say is, I think this is going to be a sweet anniversary present for the two of us. The kids will enjoy it as well, and I can already see all of the sleep overs that will take place down there. But right now, I'm just excited to save a lot of money and still get something that everyone will love!

Almost Finished

It's nearly the end of the school year. I'm always amazed at how fast it goes once Easter has hit. We are currently on Spring Break which really means we are done. Just two months left and there will be no need for bic pens or wide ruled notebook paper. My kids will be a year older, and closer to middle school, and that's just wrong! Next school year my little girl starts Kindergarten. She's thrilled for this milestone, I'm dreading it!

Happy Anniversary

Our 11th wedding anniversary is coming up soon! I'm really happy to have made it to this milestone. The first 10 years were cake, so I'm hoping the next 10 will be great also! I've been looking into some 'hi-tech' gifts to give the "man" but am having a hard time nailing it down. I would love to get him a computer. I don't care if it's a laptop or a desktop, we desperately need one. Then I found discount home theater seating and now my mind is working in a whole new direction. I feel bad because whatever we get him, the whole family will use. So it isn't just a fun gift for him. But I guess that's what it means to be a dad!

Promotions

This week is my husbands 15 year anniversary at work. I can't believe it's been that long. Actually, it hasn't. He worked for many years for this company before we got married, then switched fields for a bit, and is now back. So he got all of his time in service, which makes for a nice little prize! His work has been giving out some really nice little promotional products this past week, and he's been bringing some home. Did you know that the days of coffee mugs and crystal trophies as gifts has been added to with high tech gifts like flash drives and digital frames? I had no idea! It's been kind of fun to get to see what the new products are, and I'm still amazed at just how far the whole thing has come!

We Are Back

We've had a bit of a "technical" update recently! It took forever to get completed, mostly because we called my brother in law instead of a professional. Mind you, he is sort of a professional. He goes to others homes and works all of their installs--he's less expensive because he has all of the parts needed and bulk cable. The slowness falls into the fact that we have to wait for his time schedule to actually fit us in. So a job that would normally take a few hours, took over a week! But at least we are back up and running--and that is all that matters!

Patio Furniture

My sister and her husband bought a new home last fall. They were too late to find outdoor furniture in the end of the season sales, but were to late. They have their eyes on some beautiful pieces and I can't wait to head over and use their huge backyard while the kids play to their hearts content! Plus, they will be messing up her yard instead of mine. Not really, I hope to have them all over at my house as well. It's just not as big or nearly as fun!

A Weekend Out

We had the opportunity last weekend to get a room at the Hotel Intercontinental in downtown Chicago last weekend for a birthday party. I have to say, we were quite spoiled! Not only did we have an opportunity to enjoy their wonderful restaurants, and their Junior Olympic indoor swimming pool but they had the coolest rooms. Did you know you can actually put your TV in a cabinet--push a button on your remote and silently your TV will rise up on a plasma lift? I've never heard of such a thing--but I have to say, it was the coolest thing I've ever seen. Now, it's definitely on my list of wants for the coming year!

Spring Is Springing

I walked around the yard today and was so excited to see some little green stems starting to poke their heads up. Spring is coming. I do love Spring, but with it we get that much closer to the overwhelming heat of summer. I LOVE the three other seasons. I love sweatshirt weather! I love having the chance to snuggle into some Emu Australia boots! I love the smell of chimneys blowing smoke from freshly lit fires while the dry leaves crackle beneath your feet! These are all the comforts of Fall--and I guess the closer we get to Summer--we are that much closer to Fall as well!

Budgeting Software Needed

I hate tax time! Every year we get a couple of thousand back from the federal return, but we also end up paying several hundred for the state return. This on top of the already "CHOKING" property tax is going to send us to the poor house! I know there is the whole 'Welfare' package coming in May and I'm really going to have to look into a budget software in order to make it last as long as we can as well as cover every need that we have as well! It really isn't so hard living within our means. We don't have any credit card debt. Both of our cars are paid for. We have a mortgage and that is it! Yet with taxes alone, we are in the poor house! How do other Americans do it when they are drowning in debt on top of the taxes?

Hopefully The End

I just got off the phone with my mother in law. Good news finally! My nephew has been in and out of jail and drug rehabilitation for several years now. He keeps getting back into the drug scene and his father keeps reporting him. I don't blame him, I really do want the best for this boy. But at the same time, he is on his final shot. One more relapse, and he's in prison to finish out his 2 year sentence. I'm not sure I could turn him in with that staring at me. Anyway, enough about me! This boy is out of rehab, and back into a halfway house. He seems to be doing really well and is currently working two jobs. In the last halfway house he was in school and doing really well. This current one doesn't offer schooling, but hopefully when he is out in a month or two, he can get himself back into school. I'm so hopeful for him again, but at the same time, we've been here before. Send him "happy thoughts" if you could!