The Hokey Pokey

Swaptree - trade books, CDs, DVDs, and video games for free

2009-09-11T08:05:00.001-07:00

Swaptree - trade books, CDs, DVDs, and video games for free

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Really!

2009-09-07T10:15:00.001-07:00

She's blogging!

2009-03-28T11:21:00.001-07:00

She is blogging! Encourage a writer. The Happy Patch.

The little one is on Youtube, she says it's called "chicken racing".

They would love your comments. (Be nice, they are little!)

Little bloggers

2009-03-26T16:18:00.000-07:00

Ashton is going to blog! So I'm updating to show her how easy it is. As soon as she is online you must visit her site!!! Encourage a budding writer.

My new love

2009-02-22T12:35:00.001-08:00

I love this! It is the Keurig B30. I only wished I had checked around to buy it as it is the "Todays Special Value" on QVC. Maybe I'll buy another!

Inspired by Lori

2009-02-05T09:46:00.001-08:00

I finally decided to update my blog, but had no idea what to write about. So I started reading other blogs and while reading my friend Lori's, who I think is an amazing writer, I was inspired. My back is always itchy and in need of moisturizer but there isn't always someone home to help and my arms are about 4 inches too short to apply lotion myself. So I went on a hunt for something to do the job for me. I ran across this handy invention, the roll a lotion. I cannot believe I actually purchased one of those "as seen on tv" items but I did and it works! No more itchy back. Of course I purchased mine at drugstore.com and used live search cashback so it was quite a deal.

Island in the Sky

2009-01-22T07:59:00.001-08:00

The fog here has been crazy! I live in a neighborhood called Sky Island and I now know why. The elevation is only about 600ft but it looks much higher. Other than the blurb on our neighborhood website about Walt Disneys friends living here in the 50's, before this neighborhood was here, and filming I thought it was just a pretty name. Now I know why, check out these pictures I took of the Sumner Valley, from the end of our street.

Rain, rain, go away!

2009-01-12T08:36:00.000-08:00

We had another big flood here in Washington state. This time it was really bad. Some places had over 1' of rain in 24 hours, that's a lot of water. I took some pictures on my way to work the day after. The Puyallup river was still over it's banks, but as you can see from the mud line it had receded quite a bit. Man am I glad I live on a big hill!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T09:59:00.001-08:00

Cool picture, huh? I found it at ColorCubic.com

Happy New Year everyone! 2009 holds so much promise, it has to be a better year than 2008.

We will open the book. Its pages are blank.
We are going to put words on them ourselves.
The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day. ~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

This Christmas

2008-12-23T08:30:00.001-08:00

This Christmas

Mend a quarrel
Seek out a forgotten friend
Write a love letter
Share some treasure
Give a soft answer
Encourage youth
Keep a promise
Find the time
Forgive an enemy
Listen
Apologize if you were wrong
Think first of someone else
Be kind and gentle
Laugh a little
Laugh a little more
Express your gratitude
Gladden the heart of a child
Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth
Speak your love
Speak it again
Speak it still once again

Winter Wonderland

2008-12-21T14:33:00.000-08:00

Here is our winter wonderland! It rarely snows in the Pacific NW so this is a big deal. We might even have a white Christmas! I have lived here my entire life and can't ever remember a white Christmas. For once I'm enjoying it. Maybe it's because the kids are all ready out of school, or it could be that we have a big 4 wheel drive truck so I'm not stuck. Who knows? But it's not bugging me. I hope you're all staying warm and dry. Make some hot cocoa and sing a Christmas carol.

Oh Christmas Tree!

2008-12-18T07:48:00.000-08:00

We put up our huge, fake, tree the day after Thanksgiving. I would have posted earlier but it has been crazy busy around here. Trying to get ready for the holiday, working, kids, snow, no school, etc... Isn't it pretty? This year it's all in pinks and purples. I bought the ornaments last year at Target 75% off - you gotta love that!

Wrapping

2008-12-08T08:27:00.000-08:00

I'm all done! Shopping for Christmas presents and wrapping them that is. I hate wrapping gifts so this year I decided to start early-wrap them as soon as I bring them in. Much easier, I think this will be my plan from now on. Now I just have to mail the HUGE box to my sister-in-law and we will have order in our house. Well, maybe not the entire house, but at least the hallway. ;)

AC/DC

2008-12-01T07:16:00.000-08:00

Last night was the show, and it was AMAZING!!!! I was really worried because I took Avery, who is 8, but there were a lot of little kids there. She rocked out completely, doing her air guitar and squiggling on the floor. She had the crowd watching her. Unfortunately I follow the rules and don't sneak in a camera so you'll just have to take my word for it. Skylar took some 1/2 way decent ones with her cell phone. When she uploads them I will post a few.
I have now completed my list of must see concerts, beginning with my first when I was 11. My mom took me to see the Bee Gee's for my birthday. Sometimes I try to remember all of the shows I've seen. Let's see, in no particular order:
1 The Bee Gee's
2 The New Wave Spectacular- INXS
3 The Stray Cats
4 The B-52's
5 Bobbie Brown
6 Julio Inglesias
7 Blondie
8 The Waterboys
9 Gladys Knight & The Pips (of course)
10 Kool & The Gang
11 Shannon -remember "Let the Music Play"?
12 Dizzy Gillespie
13George Thoroughgood
14 Stevie Ray Vaughn
15 Joe Cocker
16 James Taylor x3
14 Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
15 Crosby, Stills, Nash x5 or maybe 6 they are my fav!
16 CPR David Crosby's band with his son
17 The Rolling Stones x3
18 Rod Stewart x2
19 Bob Seger x2
20 Van Halen-the worst concert ever David Lee Roth is like a fat elvis but the guitar was rockin'!
21 Paul McCartney
22 AC/DC
23 Justin Timberlake, don't laugh I had to take my daughter
24 same goes for this one-High School Musical, at least I weasled out of Hanna Montana and made grandma take them to that one ;)
25 Train
26 Motley Crue

I know there are more, a lot more, I just can't remember them.
I was just thinking, comedians count right?
I've seen
George Carlin
Lewis Black
Kathy Griffin -my fav
Dane Cook

What shows have you seen? Which was your favorite?

Happy Day After Thanksgiving!

2008-11-28T15:22:00.000-08:00

I was self-tagged by Lori , so if you're reading this consider yourself tagged as well: (if it's green I've done it)

Started your own blog
Slept under the stars
Played in a band
Visited Hawaii
Watched a meteor shower
Given more than you can afford to charity
Been to Disneyland
Climbed a mountain
Held a praying mantis
Sang a solo
Bungee jumped
Visited Paris
Watched a lightning storm at sea
Taught yourself an art from scratch
Adopted a child - kind of
Had food poisoning
Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
Grown your own vegetables
Seen the Mona Lisa in France
Slept on an overnight train
Had a pillow fight
Hitch hiked
Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
Built a snow fort
Held a lamb
Gone skinny dipping
Run a Marathon
Ridden in a gondola in Venice -does the hotel in Vegas count?
Seen a total eclipse
Watched a sunrise or sunset
Hit a home run
Been on a cruise
Seen Niagara Falls in person
Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
Seen an Amish community
Taught yourself a new language
Had enough money to be truly satisfied
Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
Gone rock climbing
Seen Michelangelo’s David-the fake one in Atlantic City
Sung karaoke
Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
Visited Africa
Walked on a beach by moonlight
Been transported in an ambulance
Had your portrait painted
Gone deep sea fishing
Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
Kissed in the rain
Played in the mud
Gone to a drive-in theater
Been in a movie
Visited the Great Wall of China
Started a business
Taken a martial arts class
Visited Russia
Served at a soup kitchen
Sold Girl Scout Cookies
Gone whale watching
Got flowers for no reason
Donated blood, platelets or plasma
Gone sky diving
Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp, kind of-the Holocaust museum in WA,DC
Bounced a check
Flown in a helicopter
Saved a favorite childhood toy
Visited the Lincoln Memorial
Eaten Caviar
Pieced a quilt
Stood in Times Square
Toured the Everglades
Been fired from a job
Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
Broken a bone
Been on a speeding motorcycle
Seen the Grand Canyon in person
Published a book
Visited the Vatican
Bought a brand new car
Walked in Jerusalem
Had your picture in the newspaper
Read the entire Bible
Visited the White House
Killed and prepared an animal for eating
Had chickenpox
Saved someone’s life
Sat on a jury
Met someone famous
Joined a book club
Lost a loved one
Had a baby
Seen the Alamo in person
Swam in the Great Salt Lake
Been involved in a law suit
Owned a cell phone
Been stung by a bee
Totally copied a post from someone else's blog to your own.

Now consider yourself tagged and post on your blog!

Suck it!

2008-11-21T07:43:00.001-08:00

Dear husband and I went to see Kathy Griffin last night at the Paramount. She was HILARIOUS! And it was a much needed night out, even if all we did was see the show and stop at Jack in the Box on the way home. It was out, it was fun and we were without kids.

Better late than never

2008-11-19T07:23:00.001-08:00

These are photos taken in the same spot as the ones below, the very next day. The river went over it's banks but had receded by morning.

My girls went to school, thank God. I hate missing school because that takes a day away from summer vacation.
All is warm, well kind of, and dry here - for now!

It's raining, it's pouring...

2008-11-12T16:59:00.001-08:00

I know it's kind of spotty but it's pouring outside. This is the Puyallup river, not too far from my house. At 3 pm I drove past this spot and noticed the river was really high and running really fast. At 4:30 we drove down to take a peek, it's over it's bank and doesn't look like it's going to stop anytime soon. Voluntary evacuations are being conducted but I suspect they will be mandatory before long. The rain isn't supposed to let up until tomorrow sometime-if they're right about the weather (which they usually aren't). I'm glad I live above all this on a big hill!

Tell me again why I love dogs?

2008-11-08T10:22:00.000-08:00

I can put up with just about anything my two furbabies throw at me. They ate my good shoes the other day (my fault I left them out), they dig holes (my fault they're bored), the new one Roxy has accidents (I just don't know her queue's yet), they bark at everyone and everything (not sure if this is my fault or not but since everything else is why not)
But I cannot tolerate being whined awake at 6am on a Saturday morning! Seriously, it makes me want to do horrible things I can't type here for fear of being reported to some agency or something. I stayed up late last night too, well late for me, watching Comedy Central, only because I thought I could sleep in.
What the CRAP! As my daughter would say.
Anyone want a dog?

The Sensitive One

2008-11-05T15:29:00.000-08:00

She is my sensitive daughter, she loves to write, is always thinking. Needs to work on her spelling but gets her point across.

No thank you!

2008-11-05T08:18:00.000-08:00

Last night was an historic night and the end of an error. On January 20, 2009 George W. Bush will be gone and we will have elected a president from my generation. Oh, and the first black president. I had a bit more hope this morning when I woke up, I was a little happier. My young children watched all of the election returns and were excited to see Barack Obama become president number 44. They don't quite understand what this means but one day, maybe when they want to run for president, it will all come back to them.

I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

"In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred." MLK

The birthday party

2008-11-02T10:18:00.000-08:00

We survived the birthday party/Halloween party! She had a blast and the decorations were a hit. We trick or treated all over our neighborhood after the party, walked more than a mile. Then came back home for candy and a "scary" movie.
Here is a slideshow of the kids having a great time!

Happy Haunting!

2008-10-31T08:22:00.000-07:00

We're having a birthday party at our house this Halloween, complete with decorations, costumes, spooky food and tired parents. Ms. Avery turns eight in a couple days and I thought it would be good to roll them together. Never again. She was so excited last night that she didn't go to sleep until after 10. Can you say "Crabby kid!"? I'm sure it will be fun. I just finished downloading every spooky song I could think of to my Ipod, I have to get more sticks for the carmel apples, make the mummy dogs and hang the rest of the balloons. After I get home from work. And I have to wrap the presents. Next year it's cake and ice cream (yeah right - I say that every year!)

For those interested here is the history of Halloween:

Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in).

The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.

To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities.

During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.

By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of the four hundred years that they ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain.

The first was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple and the incorporation of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the tradition of "bobbing" for apples that is practiced today on Halloween.

By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the pope was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. The celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day) and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween. Even later, in A.D. 1000, the church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. Together, the three celebrations, the eve of All Saints', All Saints', and All Souls', were called Hallowmas.

Some things I learned today...

2008-10-27T19:40:00.000-07:00

I found an article online at psychologytoday.com,
the article is called "Ten Politically Incorrect Truths About Human Nature" They are all interesting, but the one I like said that beautiful people are more likely to have daughters. I have three :). It says, "Americans who are rated "very attractive" have a 56 percent chance of having a daughter for their first child, compared with 48 percent for everyone else."
And while doing chacha (I told you to check it out and make some easy money) I had to look up what is in a hotdog. I have been avoiding this for years as I love hotdogs. But I found out from www.fsis.usda.gov that they are "semisolid products made from one or more kinds of raw skeletal muscle from livestock (like beef or pork), and may contain poultry meat". Isn't that about the most disgusting thing you have ever heard?
And I learned that I cannot afford this car, the Bugatti Veyron as it costs $1,192,057.

What have you learned today? Send me an email or post it to me!

Saving money!

2008-10-23T08:35:00.000-07:00

I like to think of myself as a super thrifty shopper. Yes, I buy too much but I always get a good price! So I've recently discovered shopping through MSN livesearch. Some stores give you as much as 30% back! That could be huge. It's even available for Ebay. Yep, cashback for Ebay purchases. I don't get a kickback for telling you about it, nothing special if you sign up. Just the warm fuzzy feeling that you saved $$$. There is a trick to shopping through ebay though. You have to search here live.com,
and type in WII, for example, then shop away. For most other stores you can just check the list of stores here live.com/cashback
Seriously, you have to check it out! The amounts change, like right now it's 25% back on ebay buy it now purchases, it was 30% a couple days ago. And I bought a bunch of stuff at Drugstore.com
a couple weeks ago and got 25% back. In these weird economic times it's important to save as much as possible!

Not ready

2008-10-18T08:26:00.000-07:00

We started seeing Christmas items for sale about two months ago while school clothes shopping. Macy's was putting up their holiday lane and Costco had their giftwrap out. I sure wish there was something we could do to make them stop. It kind of takes the fun out of it!

How much would you pay?

2008-10-13T08:12:00.001-07:00

I found this in the Sunday paper, thought it was very, very interesting. Another reason why I'm casting myvote for Obama. How about you?

How Much Would You Pay in Taxes?
Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain both say they’ll cut federal taxes if elected. Here’s what their proposals would mean for you.

Obama McCain
If you make...
you'd save... you'd save...
less than $19,000 $567 $21
$19,000-$37,600 $892 $118
$37,600-$66,400 $1118 $325
$66,400-$111,600 $1264 $994
$111,600-$161,000 $2135 $2584
$161,000-$227,000 $2796 $4437

If you're in the top 5% of earners...
you'd pay an extra... you'd save...
$227,000-$603,400 $121 $8159
$603,400-$2.87 million $93,709 $48,862
more than $2.87 million $542,882 $290,708

*Source: Tax Policy Center. Numbers have been rounded. For complete details, go to TaxPolicyCenter.org.

If your annual salary is less than $112,000, you’d pay less in taxes under Obama’s plan; if your salary is higher, McCain would cut your taxes more. “While the aggregate tax cut is bigger for McCain, a larger number of voters get more money under Obama,” says Alan Viard, a tax-policy expert at the conservative American Enterprise Institute. “Obama is choosing to emphasize tax cuts for the middle class, whereas McCain’s strategy is to keep rates lower at the top as a way to facilitate long-run growth.” For example, a person with an income of $1 million could see his taxes increase under Obama by as much as $94,000, whereas under McCain’s plan he could save about $48,000.

Finally!

2008-10-09T08:17:00.001-07:00

She got her braces off yesterday! "My what beautiful teeth you have!" "All the better to snarl at you with, my dear!" After almost five years and you don't want to know how much money she is free of the metal. It was well worth it.
If you're looking for an awesome orthodontist in the Seattle area check out Dr. Rudey, Rudey Orthodontics.

One down, two to go!

That One

2008-10-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

Did you watch the second presidential debate last night? Seriously, Obama MUST win or we're in trouble. I don't want to listen to McCain call me "friend" in his condescending tone for the next four years. And the way he danced around the issues - OMG, I can't take it. There is one more debate, next Wednesday, October 15th at 6pm Pacific time. You really should watch it.

According to most major news channels Obama won last night's debate. I personally love the Huffington post, she says it so well:
"In Debate II, John McCain twice laid out the criteria for how the American people should judge the candidates: In tough times, we need someone with a steady hand on the tiller. By that measure, Obama was the clear winner. He was centered where McCain was scattered. Forceful where McCain was forced. Presidential where McCain was petulant. In the first debate, McCain wouldn't look at Obama. In this one, he referred to him as "that one." The contempt was palpable, and unpalatable. At the end of the debate, Brokaw asked McCain to get out of the way of his Teleprompter. He might as well have been speaking on behalf of the future: Senator McCain can you please get out of the way so we can get on with it?"

2008-10-03T08:23:00.000-07:00

Palin vs Biden...

2008-09-30T17:29:00.000-07:00

From the Huffington Post:

Top 10 Reasons Why Palin Will Cancel the Debate on Thursday:

10. Suspicious Russian tourists spotted across the Bering strait in Dezhnevo

9. Wrasslin' a bear

8. Learns Tina Fey will be watching

7. When taken on tour of White House by McCain handlers, is "inadvertently" locked in Cheney's man-sized safe

6. Schedule for memorizing state capitals thrown off by need for new schedule to memorize states

5. Speechless after finally looking up what "MILF" stands for

4. On deadline to finish her book, Namin' Your Baby the Alaskan Way

3. Needs more time to really nail those hilarious hair-plug zingers

2. No matter how hard she scrubs, she can't get Kissinger's moral stank off of her

1. Stuck in traffic on the Bridge to Nowhere

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

2008-09-20T10:46:00.000-07:00

I am fifteen again! Sat at the computer this morning hitting refresh for fifteen minutes to get tickets to the November AC/DC show. Lucky! As Napoleon would say. The Tacoma show sold out in less than five minutes. I got four tickets, on the floor! Let the countdown begin.

If you can't get to an AC/DC show you should check out Hells Belles, they are an amazing cover band and they are all girls! They do an awesome job.

If it's too loud, you're too old!

2008-09-17T19:17:00.001-07:00

Stoked! 1 thesaurus results for: stoked
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus
Main Entry: thrilled
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: Feeling a very strong emotion.
Synonyms: atingle, excited, fired up, worked up

Yep, I am definitely STOKED! I am using a word from high school, can't believe it! Tickets go on sale Saturday morning to see AC/DC. I plan on buying four-of course Bob and I and two of the girlies. Ashton doesn't like loud music. Skylar loves it and Avery is the tiniest head-banger of them all! November 30th

You must go to AC/DC.com and listen to their new song if you haven't all ready heard it on the radio. If you haven't you should call your local station and ask them to play it. It goes on sale, Walmart only, October 17th.

Meet Roxy!

2008-09-16T08:05:00.001-07:00

Meet Roxy, our newest addition! She is a mini-schnauzer and something curly mix. When we got her she had long beautiful white curls, that immediately became long black muddy curls the first time they went outside to play. As you can see she has had a haircut. She is still cute though! She came to us by way of the pets section on Craigslist. A real sweetie! At first Ace was very put out and didn't like her at all but he has since warmed up and they play together very nicely. She is about 12 pounds, smaller than Ace, but still the boss. She gets along very well with our girlies and other people. Her only issue thus far is barking, she barks at everything. She has been wearing the bark collar a bit, but it really upsets Ace (who doesn't like it). She will learn I'm sure-a very smart dog.
In my search for a playmate for Ace I looked on Craigslist.org, went to a doggie adoption fair, searched Petfinder.com, went to the local dog pound and the Humane Society. It is important to make sure that you are getting the right dog or pet. Not just the cutest one. Remember to spay and neuter. Also remember pets are a commitment, time and money. Small dogs live about 15 years. That means that Ace and Roxy will probably be with us longer than our children will be home.
Give your dog a treat for me!

What are you reading?

2008-09-04T07:34:00.000-07:00

Anyone reading a good book? My stack of must reads just keeps getting bigger and bigger. I started a book called A Rip In Heaven a couple days ago, so far so good. I also bought A Veil Of Roses yesterday at Costco. And on it's way from Barnes and Noble is the new Michael Moore book Mike's Election Guide, The American Wife -supposed to be fiction but based on Laura Bush's life (I hope it's juicy!) and The Time Travellers Wife. I also have the new David Sedaris to read and an older one of his, never read his stuff before but am really looking forward to it. Kurt Vonegut is still waiting for me, I can't believe I have never read The Slaughterhouse Five!

So, what are you reading? Any suggestions for me?

All is quiet

2008-09-02T08:08:00.000-07:00

It's the first day back to school for the girlies. They were all looking forward to going back and seeing their friends. I, on the other hand, could have used another month or two of summer vacation. I don't like the routine. It's much more fun to play all day and only have to worry about whether or not they put sunscreen on.
It has become a tradition that mom take their picture on the first day of school. This year was no different, except that they didn't want me to. I had to wake up early just to snap the pic of Skylar going off to her first day of 8th grade. (can you tell she wasn't too happy about it?)

Ashton said I could take her picture, but only one. Man, they are growing up way too fast, first day of 5th grade and last year of elementary school!

Then there is the baby, Ms. Avery-her first day of 2nd grade. She willingly let me take her picture, anything for mom. She seemed nervous, I hope she does ok. At least she looks cute!

Milestone morning!

2008-08-31T10:36:00.001-07:00

She made her own breakfast! DD (dear daughter) who is 10 has always wanted to cook but I'm too lazy to show her. Or maybe I just don't want to clean up the mess. But this morning I just didn't feel like cooking. Ok not just this morning, it's any morning, I don't even pour the cereal anymore. And she doesn't like cereal and we're out of frozen waffles. So I gave direction, from the couch with coffee in hand, on how to make scrambled eggs. She is so proud of herself! And she should be. What a big girl!!!

Sequim, Washington

2008-08-25T20:32:00.001-07:00

Just returned from a great, all though too short, trip to Sequim on the Olympic side of Washington. Absolutely gorgeous! We can't wait to go back. If I can find a dogsitter we are going back this weekend. **Dogs are not allowed in national parks!** We really wanted to take a trip to Hurricane Ridge and hike to some waterfalls but we brought Ace along and couldn't leave him in the car. We tried leaving him in his crate in the trailer on Friday (with the tv and air conditioning on) but he cried and bothered everyone in the campground the entire time we were gone. We did go to the Olympic Game Farm Park that is where all the pictures of the animals up close came from. The zebras stuck their heads inside the truck window and the yaks were pretty eager too. While my kids thought it was neat I found it appalling, the conditions those poor animals live in is horrible. I don't ever want to go back there again. I would definitely skip it if you are travelling to the Olympic Peninsula, there is a lot more to see.
We camped at the KOA in Sequim. It was ok, as KOA's go. Crowded and noisy but free showers, a swimming pool and stuff for the kids to do. I plan on staying at Salt Creek Park or the Elwa Dam capmground next time. No pool but a lot nicer and cheaper too! While at the KOA we met some really nice people, I hope to keep in contact with them. Bonnie, Jim and their two daugthers. Super! A big hello to them.
We had a really great time!!! Can't wait to do it again.

My dog Ace

2008-08-19T07:36:00.000-07:00

I love my (our) dog Ace. He is a miniature Schnauzer and is just about 1 1/2 years old. I found him while reading Craigslist one afternoon last June. The person was giving him away free and he seemed like a cool dog that would fit into our family well. So we brought him home. Only to find out he has issues, big ones. He is the most jealous, heurotic dog you will ever meet. Don't try to hug me or even shake my hand if you come over, he goes nuts. He won't try to bite you but he will cry and jump all over. Also, he has separation anxiety. At first we had him on "doggie downers" to try to get him to mellow out when we left, but we didn't like to medicate him. And it seemed we could trust him a bit more. So after keeping him in his crate when we left we started leaving him free to roam the house. He DOES NOT like it at all when we leave, even for a minute. And now he has started showing us that's he's pissed about it. We went to the movies last night, was gone about 2.5 hours. He had food and water, we left lights and the radio on for him. And when we got home Bob found that he ate my library book.

I didn't think I was going to finish it anyway, but come on! Now I have to pay for it. I wonder if they will let me keep it? Only two corners and the dustjacket were chewed up, it's still readable. BTW, it was/is The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon. Now Ace is outside thinking about what he has done. Yeah right, he is outside plotting what to eat next. He doesn't like being outside by himself. Did I mention that he is afraid of everything? Yep, just about everything. But we love him. He is cute, isn't he?

Why I don't like television (that much)

2008-08-19T07:27:00.000-07:00

It seems that all I have seen of my husband is the back of his head since the Olympics started! Seriously, that's just about all he has done. There really isn't much else on tv during the day so he watches the Olympics. Yep, the wrestling, boxing, even the shooting. I've had enough! I don't mind gymnastics or swimming, even volleyball is ok. But this is getting ridiculous. I'm going to find the breaker for the outlet where it is plugged in!

Are you all watching the Olympics?

2008-08-16T07:39:00.000-07:00

Normally I wouldn't be interested in the Olympics at all but this year I seem caught up in the fever. Even my kids, especially the two younger ones, are watching. Of course it makes for a late night since they don't come on until late, but it's only once every four years.
I particularly liked watching last night. It was quite an honor to watch Michael Phelps achieve a dream. We have been watching him swim every night and I had noticed that he didn't seem all that excited when he won the past couple of times. Maybe he was just tired? I know I would be completely exhausted, just the thought of taxing my body like that makes me tired. But last night when he won his 7th gold medal I was in awe. He was so happy. And when he saw the race on playback and noticed how close it was, the look on his face was priceless! I was looking at his bio yesterday and saw that he tries to respond to all of his own mail and will send an autograph if you send a sase. Better jump in quick if you want one. Michael Phelps website, mail to Michael Phelps PO Box 1734, Olney, MD 20830.
I also think, my opinion of course, that stripping athletes of their medals for being poor sports is a good idea. How about that wrestler from Sweden? “Any disruption by any athlete, in particular a medalist, is in itself an insult to the other athletes and to the Olympic Movement. It is also contrary to the spirit of fair play.” And they are not going to give his medal to someone else. Good for them! Be a good sport, you can't always win, didn't your mama teach you anything. Now go to your room and think about what you did.
The theme of the games this year is "The Best of Us", watch this (fictional) but really neat video of a happy athlete.

It runs in the family

2008-08-14T07:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was messing around here, reading random blogs and looking around, when my daughter came in. She seemed interested in blogging and wanted to know how to do it. I told her it was simple, and it is if I can do it. KWIM? Anyway, she started writing her own. Of course that just means more time sitting at the computer and less time playing outside or doing something good for her. But writing can be good right?
So check out her blog! Something Random

Just thought I would share

2008-08-11T18:30:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, the last few posts were about my vacation in Chelan. But it was really, really wonderful so I thought I would share a few more pictures. While there I was a total bookworm and put away some of my summer reading from last year! Here's what I read, all recommended by me:

The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving

The Sweet Potato Queens First Big Ass Novel by Jill Conner Brown

Step On A Crack by James Patterson

Smoke, Murder and Mirrors by Ann Rule (the best true crime writer EVER

There were a couple others I will remember later. I did finish a great book this afternoon. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. This should be required reading in junior high. IMO
So here are the pictures, enjoy. And remember to spend some time with your family.

Party's Over

2008-08-01T09:15:00.000-07:00

We have to go home tomorrow. WAAAAAA! Back to the grind and stuff. Even though the weather has been a bit unpredictable, lots of wind and not near as hot as they said, we have enjoyed every minute. At least most of us have. Not so sure about Skylar, but she is after all 13 and wants to be with her friends. Thank God she has her cell phone or I think she would have taken to entertaining herself with picking on her sisters non-stop. All she does is text. Also a thank you to T-Mobile for unlimited texting!
I really want to get in one more short camping trip before school starts but am not sure how to swing it. We have never been to Sequim or the Hoa Rainforest on the Olympic Peninsula and I would really like to go. They have a wild animal park up there with lions and tigers and bears OH MY! We'll see...
So that's it for Chelan. Gotta set my calendar in October so I can get reservations for next year. Same time, same place, I'll meet you here!

Just chillin'

2008-07-26T14:34:00.000-07:00

So we're still here in Chelan, just starting week 2. I've been taking a little break since getting the backs of my legs sunburned. But I think I'm ready to get back in the sun and out in the water. The weather has been a bit strange though. Really windy and humid. I don't remember it ever being humid east of the mountains. This is a serious good time though. As you can tell from the picture relaxing is hard work.

Chelan

2008-07-21T21:29:00.000-07:00

So we're finally here! Chelan is lovely as usual. The weather is stunning, has been at least 90 everyday and it's supposed to remain that way for the next two weeks. The kids are all behaving, all six of them. The sleeping arrangements are working out great. And I am getting to spend some quality time with my brother. This hasn't happened since he was 14 and we all went camping. Long story and my battery is dying on the old laptop. Besides it's getting really dark. I hope all of you have had a chance this summer to enjoy a sunset, spend time with your family, sit in the sun and just be. Oh, and have a snowcone, the green ones are best!

No Fighting!

2008-07-17T07:16:00.000-07:00

I have three lovely daughters and I love them all the same amount but very differently. They fight ~ all the time. I should say the oldest and the middle daughter fight all the time. The two younger ones get along fabulously. They have the kind of relationship I always wanted with my sister, best friends.
But we had a glorious day on Monday! Joy of all joys, we went to have pictures taken and they didn't fight. Not even a little bit. They had their pictures taken and didn't fuss, the pics turned out great. Then we went to dinner and again no fighting! This happens so rarely I would consider it quite a miracle. Especially when we're having pictures taken. It's almost always a disaster with someone, usually me, crying or being really pissed off. Look for yourself. The pictures tell a thousand stories:

Told you! They look happy, don't they? (let's see if it lasts)

13

2008-07-15T07:03:00.000-07:00

I am officially the mother of a teenager. She turned 13 yesterday, had her birthday party Saturday. If you want to call it a party. All she wanted to do was hang out with her friends and have me leave her alone. The few times I poked my head in her room I was greeted with, "why are in here?" and "can you leave now?" It was the easiest party I've ever thrown. Order some pizzas, which I ordered one too many and gave the extra away free on Craigslist. She was mortified because I had done this, but hey those two really stoned guys that picked it up were happy! (thank you craigslist!!!) She didn't even want to sing happy birthday or have her cake. They ate the cake for breakfast the next morning, no singing or candles or anything. She seemed to have a great time though. All six of her girlfriends slept over crammed in her little room. Those were the only pictures I got, when I snuck in in the morning to see what had happened the night before. And a couple while she was opening her gifts. Her little sisters were really disappointed, they kept saying, "not much of a party-she won't even come out of her room". Oh well, to be a teenager again!

Busy, busy week!

2008-07-12T08:05:00.001-07:00

It has been a crazy busy week here at the Runions house. On top of running around like a chicken with my head cut off I have been sick. Icky summer cold or something.
Last Thursday I had my "not 4th of July" party. It was a blast. Even my oldest brother Jeff came, which was nice since my mom hadn't seen him in years! Too bad I didn't get any pictures. Lori, Scott, Emily, Danny, Sheryl, TJ, Jake, Elizabeth, Chris, Scott, Cari, AJ, mom, Dallas, Leslie, David and my gang were here. Bob really wanted to play bunco but only a few were game so he ended up playing poker with Lori's husband Scott outside until the mosquitoes became to vicious. We're having a bunco party next month so the guys can get their fix.

So besides the party this week my youngest daughter got her braces on. Now all three will have perfect teeth. Thank you Dr. Rudey. Of course a thank you from him for the $$$ we have spent. Having a good orthodontist is well worth it though. If you live in the Seattle area and need braces I suggest you check him out, he'll do a free consult for you. Rudey Orthodontics So here she is getting them on:

After the braces and the party was the 4th of July. I didn't want to celebrate but gave in after much whining. We went to the movies first and saw Wall-E, what a huge waste of time and money. Really dumb movie. We even bought popcorn. Oh well. After the movie we drove to the Muckleshoot Indian Reservation to buy a few fireworks. Crazy! The fog in the pictures is actually smoke from people lighting of fireworks.

Then we came home and blew a few of our own off. The mosquitoes were out in force though so we didn't stay out long.

The next day, July 5th, Bob and I got all dressed up and went to a wedding. My boss was getting married. His house is absolutely gorgeous, sitting right on a cliff overlooking Gig Harbor. I'm jealous! Here we are all dressed up and ready to go. The picture isn't too horrible considering my 10 year old daughter took it.

And now another super busy week begins. Tonight is Skylar's 13th birthday party. She just wants to hang out with her friends-and I'm glad because I still don't feel good. Then it's back to work, more training so I can go full time this fall. And the end of the week we get ready to go to Lake Chelan for a fabulous vacation.

Not as bad as I thought

2008-06-30T06:52:00.000-07:00

I turned 40 last Wednesday and it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I remember asking my grandma what it felt like to be 75. She said you wake up in the morning and you feel just like you always have your entire life. Then you happen to walk by a mirror and "WHOA! Who is that person?" You feel the same, just look different. I am one of the special people that not only feel the same, but look the same too. At least with my glasses off, lights down and if I squint real hard.
But seriously, it started off kind of bad, I was really down. Went to work and was crabby, came home and was crabby. There was no BIG party, all my friends were busy, it really seemed to suck. Then, while sitting in my backyard, with the sun toasting all of us at just the right temperature, I realized that I was happy. I hadn't spent an evening with my family, mom, brother, papa, a ton of kids, where I was enjoying myself-no one was fighting, I was waiting for a fight or argument-it was really nice. There is entirely too much pressure on this whole "turning 40" thing. I think I was bummed because I thought I was supposed to be. Turns out I had a great time! My mom made the most awesome cake for me, my brother brought dinner,the kids were good. What more could you ask for?

Oh yeah, presents! Zach gave me a gift card to Home Depot to buy some plants. I got a palm tree and two other tropical, I hope I don't kill them, flowers. My mom gave me this gorgeous candle holder I've been eyeing at her work every time I go in. The little girls gave me some sparkly jewelry. And my fabulous husband bought me my new ride. Check it out!

Here's my whole family, even the dog! We were really enjoying ourselves. So as Ron Wild said ~
Seek the wisdom of the ages, but look at the world through the eyes of a child.

Summer has arrived!

2008-06-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

The official start of summer at our house is not marked on the calendar by a date or determined by the weather, it officially starts when we put up the pool.

This year it was a bit chilly outside when we started, and the next day when it was finally full. So to keep the kids from bugging me about swimming we had a chat about hypothermia. It went like this:
Kids: Can we go swimming?
Mom: Kind of cold outside, don't ya' think?
Kids: No, can we go swimming?
Mom: Ask you dad
Kids: He said ask mom
Mom: Do you want to get sick?
Kids: We don't care
Mom: Have you heard of hypothermia?
**kids having discussion between themselves**
Kids: Yes, can you die from it?
Mom: Sometimes
Kids: Can we go swimming?
Mom: You might get hypothermia
Kids: Will we die?
(I know this next part is wrong, but hey it worked)
Mom: You might, you'll just have to try it out to see
Kids: We're gonna go play with our DS
Mom: silent and smirking but no longer being bugged by small children to swim in the freezing cold water
~~~~Cut to June 27, 85 degrees outside~~~~

2008-06-26T06:29:00.000-07:00

I thought this was hilarious! But I loved Beavis and Butthead and this is kind of insulting to them. (Beavis that is!)

After seeing this photo I jumped on my soap box, did some searching and found some interesting stats. I am completely and totally 100% anti-war. This is what it is costing us, specifically right here in Pierce County, Washington. (about 40 miles south of Seattle) To find out how much it's costing you check out www.nationalpriorities.com
Here's what it's costing me:

Taxpayers in Pierce County, Washington will pay $1.4 billion for total Iraq war spending approved to date. For the same amount of money, the following could have been provided:

565,534 Children with Health Care for One Year
234,285 Scholarships for University Students for One Year
7,747 Affordable Housing Units

The best present ever!

2008-06-23T07:30:00.000-07:00

As the parent of an almost teen this last Christmas I was stuck as to what to buy my daughter. Surely she would hate just about anything she received from me. So I thought long and hard and decided to get her a cell phone. We added her to our plan and gave her unlimited text messages. She is like most other kids that age, and some grown-ups, and constantly is texting. You know the look, head down, thumbs moving a mile a minute and short grunts for response to any conversation you might be trying to have with them. She LOVES her phone, she has not once gone over her minutes-but that's because I don't think she has ever once called anyone but me-it's only used for texting. Somehow, even though it has to be turned off at night and she didn't use it at school, she managed to send/receive on average 12,000 (yes that is 12K!) a month. Does she text each letter individually? What's going on? With school being out for summer I am a little more relaxed about the putting the phone away at night thing. This is what I found a few days ago when I went in her room to say goodnight.

I think I finally got one right! She seems to be a bit attached to this gift. Maybe we should have gotten her a hamster?
By the way, she is going to KILL ME when she sees this post. I love being a mom. ;)

Happy thoughts

2008-06-21T09:12:00.000-07:00

Some random happy photos from our house!

Attention all coffee drinkers!

2008-06-20T16:22:00.000-07:00

Most of us have been to Starbuck's and complained about the prices. If you haven't been then I'm sure you've heard someone complain. I am one of the complainers, even though I keep going back. Today I stopped in for my usual, double tall, vanilla breve, not too hot, no straws, shot of caffeine and was prepared to pay an arm and a leg. (Chevron and Starbuck's must be in together!) Low and behold they have finally come up with a loyalty program.
If you buy a gift card, which you can use for yourself-no need to give it away, and register it online they will mail you a coupon for a free drink. In my case that's $4.76 in FREE money. Then if you use your gift card to purchase your drug of choice from them they will give you more free stuff.
My drink today was $2.77! All I had to pay for was a 1 shot latte. Cool beans, huh? You really should check it out www.Starbucks.com click the gift card tab.

Irony

2008-06-18T14:49:00.000-07:00

I am having a birthday next week, a milestone birthday that I guess technically is a sign of middle age. But I'm refusing it, don't want it, I'm going to start having anniversaries instead. So it will be the 19th anniversary of my 21st birthday.
And because I am the youngster at our house, as far as grown ups go, I am the primary insured for our health care. We are one of the lucky ones that get to buy it ourselves. YEAH US! Since I am having a bracket changing, you know the brackets 18-25, 26-34, etc..., birthday our rates are going up. Again YEAH US! Our insurance is more expensive because we both smoke. I know, I know we need to quit, it's going to kill us. In the same wad of mail with the rate hike from Regence I got a $3 off "Happy Birthday" coupon from Newport cigarettes. Is that irony or an oxymoron? Hmmm. Guess I'll go buy some smokes so I won't stress so much about the rate increase.

Fun stuff in the summer (if it ever gets here)

2008-06-10T21:07:00.000-07:00

So I've all ready sniveled about our horrible weather here in Washington. We are now calling this Junuary instead of June. The high today was 55 and we had snow in the mountains. In some places the ski areas are still open. But all of this has given me some time to find stuff to do if and when it ever gets nice outside. I've compiles a list, short but sweet. Here ya' go:

Go see a FREE movie at a Regal movie theater with the kiddos. Most of the other Regal theaters in other states are doing it too - not just Washington.

AMC theaters are having $1 movies on Wednesday in most places.

If you live in Washington here are some more ideas:

Check out the Childrens Museum of Tacoma for free the 1st Friday of every month and on Thursdays in the summer.

The community center in Federal Way has a huge pool with water slides and a lazy river. And it's only $7 to get in! (bite me Wild Waves!)

There is the Henry Moses swimming pool, with water slides, in Renton. It's the one right off of I-405. Beware, the lines are long and on hot days it fills up quickly. Send a grown up to stand in line and have someone come with all the kiddos right as they open. $4-$14

Summer Lunch Programs, in case you need it:
Kids, ages 18 and younger, can have a free meal while school is out with the Sumner Summer Lunch program, this year at two locations. No applications required. June 25 - August 22 (closed Friday, July 4) 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday - Friday

Daffodil Valley Elementary Cafeteria
1509 Valley Ave. in Sumner
Liberty Ridge Elementary Cafeteria
12202 209th Ave. Ct. E. in Bonney Lake

The Seattle School district has a similar program available at many schools, click the link to check it out.

The Tacoma Tribune put out a list of 75 Adventures to try, some of them sound kind of fun. Not all free but fun!

Free concerts on Lake Tapps, local bands, Saturdays July - August

Insomnia?

2008-06-08T10:25:00.000-07:00

I am a victim of occasional insomnia, not sure why (ok it may be the coffee) but it is annoying. Lately I have also fallen prey to the random nightmare. On Friday it was a nightmare that I was on a city bus and Howard Stern was sitting behind me telling me spooky stories. It seemed real and the stories were scary. Not sure what was scarier though, the stories or being on a bus with Howard. I woke up with the worst headache that lasted all day. Thanks a lot Howard!

I also ran across this hilarious top 100 list of reasons you are up all night, I know it's long but it is funny! It was in Radar magazine, which I got free using my frequent (hahaha not so frequent) flyer miles from Northwest Airlines. Here's the list:

1. Can't stop worrying about Britney

2. Hide-a-Bed too well hidden

3. Keep hitting speed bumps

4. Larry King won't stop snoring

5. Can't get those Nazi war crimes out of your head

6. That guard keeps shining his goddamn flashlight in your eyes

7. Person in next hostel bunk won't stop crying out in Afrikaans

8. Severed horse head is hogging the covers

9. Couldn't turn down that third helping of cocaine

10. Some woman keeps having sex with you

11. Mistakenly set white noise machine to "Panicked Cattle at Slaughterhouse"

12. Overcome by polar bear guilt

13. You'll sleep when you're dead, or in 20 minutes—whichever comes first

14. Breast and ass implants make it difficult to find a comfortable sleeping position

15. Determined to watch every last bit of cheetah-attack footage on YouTube

16. Still angry over the Sopranos finale

17. You smoke in bed—specifically, hickory bacon

18. People keep barging into your ATM vestibule

19. Next-door neighbor is hosting a live performance of Drumline

20. Discovered the Magic Fingers bed you've been enjoying has never actually been plugged in

21. Pajama ass-flap keeps flopping open adorably

22. You're the world's biggest fan of whatever piece of shit is on TV at 3 a.m.

23. Kitschy Virgin Mary night-light from Urban Outfitters suddenly seems in poor taste

24. Shouldn't have caught the Faces of Death marathon on cable

25. Tomorrow you will finally realize your dream: sex with Richard Belzer
26. Too many high school grudges to settle

27. Filled humidifier with Red Bull

28. Keep rolling off roof

29. Staying up one more hour to see how Ron Popeil will blow your mind this time

30. Constantly interrupted by Christmas ghosts

31. Pillow is stuffed with bad checks written to the mob

32. Still pumped from John Stossel's latest "Give Me a Break" segment

33. Recurring nightmares about Sting and his lute

34. Cage is too small

35. Neighbor has his car alarm sensitivity set at "Gentle Breeze"

36. Aliens never seem to run out of things to learn from your rectum

37. Don't want to lose place in line for Hannah Montana tickets

38. Free futon you found behind Applebee's not the boon you imagined

39. New perm is too tight

40. The dream catcher above your bed is on the fritz

41. Homemade meth is a titch too strong

42. Trying to catch 24-hour Laundromat in a lie

43. Can't remember where you put that baby

44. Sweating out a garlic binge

45. Your floor plan: living room, LaGuardia runway, bedroom

46. Still a little nervous about the wine glass on the corner of the Tempur-Pedic

47. Because if you don't live-blog the 3:30 a.m. M.A.S.H. rerun, who the hell will?

48. The man next to you on the Greyhound just whispered in your ear: "If you're tired, you can rest your mouth on my genitals"

49. Sudoku

50. By not sleeping, have seven extra hours each day to drive through store windows
51. The walls are so thin, you can hear your neighbors arguing about whether you're mentally disabled

52. Have a feeling tonight will be the night you finally pull the trigger on that Proactiv Solution

53. Shouldn't have eaten that last bowl of deep-fried duck embryos from Chinatown

54. Magic 8-Ball keeps requesting you to "ask again later"

55. Dreamland is actually a total shithole

56. Haven't changed your Facebook status in almost three hours

57. Clinging for dear life to a piece of flotsam

58. Restless tongue syndrome

59. Big baby need new diaper and bottle to go night-night

60. Won't sleep until you finish reading the latest Borowitz Report entry, even if it takes all freakin' night

61. Turns out Adderall tastes a lot like Mike and Ikes

62. Cable guy is supposed to arrive between midnight and four

63. Saw something on Dateline about how sleeping causes kidney failure

64. Seems like a waste of a hooker, no?

65. Keeping yourself up by repeatedly saying out loud, "Mrs. Bret Michaels"

66. Crawled into tent to discover Charlie Sheen rolling on a condom

67. Tomorrow you're telling your handicapped son he's adopted and loved much less than the others

68. Because somewhere, right now, homosexuals are engaging in sodomy

69. You just had to take that voodoo priest's parking spot, didn't you?

70. Pancake griddle no substitute for heating pad

71. Roommate practicing his Tuvan throat singing

72. Biohazard suit a tad too warm

73. Your hammock is suspended over the mouth of a volcano

74. Still trying to figure out what you're supposed to think of Diablo Cody

75. Your brain wants to sleep but your body wants to get rid of all that corn liquor
76. Keep forgetting the chorus to "Safety Dance"

77. Your man didn't love you right

78. Waiting for Yes keyboard solo to end

79. Had eyelids removed to appear more youthful and alert

80. Thinking about how sweet life's going to be once you're a Suicide Girl

81. Perfecting the line "Give me the meat hammer" for tomorrow's porn shoot

82. Should never have ordered Ambien from Craigslist

83. Keep hearing the heartbeat of a guy buried alive in the wall

84. Still feel you have to sit in front of Best Buy all night to get a PlayStation 3

85. Plotting next moves in your 14 simultaneous games of Scrabulous

86. The manufacturers of Sleepytime Tea are a bunch of dirty fucking liars

87. Dad claimed there are no monsters under the bed "because the real monsters lurk inside our hearts"

88. New cellmate is kind of handsy

89. Impatiently awaiting news of Ace of Base reunion

90. In hindsight, shouldn't have filled the water bed with moray eels

91. The telethon's not going to watch itself

92. Still trying to think of a better comeback than, "Yeah, well, that's merely your opinion, Simon Cowell!"

93. You wet your sleeping bag

94. Suddenly realized you chose the path most traveled

95. Stupid baby in your stomach keeps trying to get born

96. Having second thoughts about green-lighting "Untitled Tom Sizemore Project"

97. That roast beef sub you found in the bus station bathroom just ain't sitting right

98. Contract with the devil expired 45 minutes ago

99. Still haunted by The Prince of Tides

100. Really half-assed that customer-service comment card at Taco Bell

Rain, rain go away!

2008-06-06T08:54:00.000-07:00

This is the view from my window right now. Need I say more?
You don't even need to come back another day. Grrrr! Or should I say brrrrr, this weather is horrible! The 6th of June and it's cold, rainy and windy. 46 degrees outside and not an end in sight to this ick. School will be out in two weeks and the kids can't swim or ride bikes or anything.
Old Farmers Almanac isn't predicting any better, and I think they've got it wrong. Here is what they say:Winter will be one to two degrees above normal, on average, led by an especially mild February. The coldest periods will be in mid-December and early and mid-January. Rainfall will be below normal in Washington and above normal in Oregon and California. Snowfall will be below normal, with most of it occurring in January.
April and May rainfall will be above normal, especially in the south. Temperatures will be near or slightly above normal, on average.
Summer will be one to two degrees above normal, on average, with below-normal rainfall. The hottest temperatures will occur in early June, late July, and mid- to late August.
September and October will bring above-normal temperatures and above-normal rainfall, especially in the south.

2008-06-01T18:45:00.000-07:00

I have just recently discovered ChaCha and went to work as a guide for them. It is an absolute blast. Chacha is a human-powered search service that provides answers to all your questions directly on your mobile phone! ChaCha is a free mobile search service that allows you to get answers to any question you might have - right on your mobile device. You can ask about weather, stocks, directions, restaurants, shops, products... and all your questions are answered by real people.
ChaCha is so simple to use. You simply send a text message containing your question to 242242™ (spells ChaCha on your keypad) or call 1-800-2ChaCha™ and say your question. Your question will be sent to a ChaCha Guide who will research the question and send you a text back with your answer.
Maybe you would like to be ChaCha guide?Guiding fits many lifestyles because it is so completely flexible. It is a great job for college students, stay-at-home parents, or anyone that wants to spend spend their time helping others. ChaCha provides free training to all Guides as a way to make them more effective searchers. Once your training period is complete and you are accepted you will be paid $0.20 per transaction/answer. This means that the more proficient you are, the more you will make.
To be considered as a Chacha Guide you must:
be 18+ years old
be fluent in English
have a US mailing address
be authorized to work in the US
love researching online
have excellent writing skills
have a Broadband Internet connection

To apply to become a Chacha guide, click here and use my email as your referral - tahnee68@yahoo.com

Can't wait to go camping!

2008-05-31T08:01:00.000-07:00

We are all so excited waiting for our annual trip to Chelan. Just about every day one of the girls asks how much longer until we go. We don't leave until July 19th and this year we get to stay for two weeks! I must have sat on the phone redialing for more than two hours trying to get a spot at the campground right on the lake. I was so excited to learn that not only was I able to get a spot, I was able to get one of the BEST spots right near the lake and in the shade of a huge tree. This trip has been the highlight of our year since we started going there 4 or 5 years ago. The lake is so clean and the weather is so nice.
We missed the rodeo last year but if we hurry we can make it this year. It starts the evening we get there. None of us had ever been to a rodeo before so it was really exciting the first time we went. It's called the Chelan County Rodeo
and it is a blast.
We also usually go horseback riding at Alta Lake at the Whistling Pines Ranch. Gorgeous scenery and a pretty good ride. The ranch is owned by a real cowboy, it's a real country experience.
But most of the time is spent playing in Lake Chelan
or just hanging out. My mom comes up and spends a night or two, (or three) with us. And cousin Gwennie is usually always there too. This year my friend Chris and her gang might even come up for a bit and play with us. We are looking forward to it-hi gas prices and all! I hope you have something planned this summer. Whether it's a camping trip 100 miles from home or in your backyard. Don't let the news get you down.

Super shopper!

2008-05-25T10:11:00.000-07:00

I am an absolute sucker for free money. I'll sign up for just about anything. Some programs are better than others. I've signed up for revolution money exchange, the link is on the left, got my $25 and spent it all ready! I recently signed up for Inbox Dollars, this is a neat site where instead of points for surveys they pay you real $$$. Wanna check them out? Click here:

Another really good one is My Points
I've been a member there for a long time and I have more than 57,000 points to turn into gift cards. I can't decide what I want so I keep racking them up. So far I've gotten $25 to Steve and Barrys and a $25 ITunes card for FREE!
I also use Ebates
and I have earned a whopping $127 shopping through them! It came in really handy at Christmas because they have more stores listed than most sites. And don't forget that Microsoft Live Search is now paying you to click through their links and shop. I recently clicked through to Barnes and Noble and earned 6% back.
Then there is Bigcrumbs.com, they even pay you for Ebay purchases and now to list your store as well! More FREE money - YEAH!

10!

2008-05-22T20:35:00.000-07:00

Ashton is ten, my middle daughter, full of mischief and trouble. Smarter than I thought, really, really smart actually. Funny, popular and beautiful. I can't believe it's been a decade.
She was born on a Friday, as were all of my daughters. I had been in a minor fender bender the weekend before while attending the University Street Fair. Some girl hit me going about 30, while I was stopped waiting for a parking space. No one was hurt, just a bit shook up. Probably not as shook up as the girl that hit me, you should have seen her face when I got out of the car-all 8 3/4 mos pregnant and not too happy. Went to the fair and had a good time, didn't think anything of it except what I was going to tell my grandma for smashing up her fender. Then about a week later while playing solitaire my water broke. It was quite a surprise as Ashton wasn't due for about 4 more weeks. And I had been arguing with my husband and kicked him out in a fit of pregnant hormonal rage. So when I paged him "911" on the baby beeper he didn't answer, not expecting a call for about another month and thinking I was just going to yell at him some more. I ended up taking a cab to the hospital in downtown Seattle (that's an entire other looooong story) and she was born the next late afternoon. Husband showed up after many, many panicked calls to the pager and then finally to his work the next morning. I remember the radio being on and "Admiral Halsey" by the Beatles playing. Every time I hear it it brings back memories.
I couldn't ask for a sweeter child, she's my lovey. Happy birthday Bean!!!!!!

Free money? Seriously!

2008-05-19T08:30:00.000-07:00

Do you all remember when you signed up for Paypal and they gave you $25 to jumpstart your account? I signed up so long ago it was called x.com. Anywho, there is a new company trying to compete with Paypal and they will give you $25 free for signing up. I've all ready done it and spent mine. So if you need a couple gallons of gas or want a coffee from Starbucks here's your chance to do it with someone else's money.

So I tried to post the link here, I told you I was new at this. If you want to check it out click the revolution money button, I think it's to the left of this post. :)

Never blogged before

2008-05-18T21:24:00.000-07:00

So, I've never blogged before but thought I would give it a try. What to say? Not quite sure. It's Sunday evening and the kids are all in bed. I've been reading blogs, and some of them are so interesting! My friend Lori has such a way with words, she always makes me laugh with her blogs. Please don't expect this from me! Like I said I'm definitely not a writer, more of a proofreader.

I guess I'm kind of sad this evening, have been for a while now. It has been a year and a day since we sold our house and moved to Bonney Lake. Most of the time I want to go home, I miss it really bad. All though I'm not sure why. The neighborhood was crappy, the schools were crappy, there really wasn't anything good about it at all. Except it was home. My little one asks me all time if I like this house or our old house better. I always tell her this house, a little white lie is ok once in a while right? Well the other day she comes up to me and seems sad and she says, "I miss home" It was really hard not to cry and tell her I miss it too. One day this house will seem like home, won't it? I really hope so.