30 Day Blog Journal - Day 30 complete

Day 30 - plans for the next month
June is a very busy month!!
June 1 - Derek's graduation
June 2 - our school's graduation
June 12 - MIL & BIL birthdays
June 14 - last day of school...YAAAAAAA!!!!
June 15 - Dad's birthday
June 17 - Our 28th wedding anniversary :O)
June 19 - Father's Day
June 20 - Nathan's 16th birthday :O)
June 29 - Peter's birthday

Also, in addition to being busy at the b&b, I will help Logan with his house hunting, Nathan will try for his driver's permit, and hopefully, get his braces off, not to mention all the normal day to day stuff.
This winds up this "30 Day Blog Journal". I really liked journaling here on my blog, so I'll start another one for June. Hope you'll follow along!

Getting to Know You Sunday May 29

would you rather..........

1. would you rather go on a picnic or to a bbq? bbq....I {heart} anything on the grill!!!!
2. would you rather go bra-less or panty-less? bra-less...{of course, only around the house though}.
3. would you rather go on a $5000 shopping spree at your favorite store or go on a $5000 vacation? I'll take the $5,000 vacation please! :O) :O)
4. would you rather eat escargot or sauteed crickets? none for me :O(
5. would you rather go on survivor or the amazing race? Amazing Race!!!! I think it would be so much fun! Survivor...not so much!
6. would you rather be hot or cold? cold.....you can always layer to keep warm!
7. would you rather go to the beach or lake? beach :O)
8. would you rather not shave your legs for a month in the summer or your armpits? gross...don't like this q...but I'll choose armpits (just nothing sleeveless for a month!!! LOL):O)

30 Day Blog Journal - Day 29

Day 29 - last concert you saw

Peter, Nathan, & I saw Daughtry in '09 (for the second time.)

We Remember..........

God Bless The USA
by Lee Greenwood

If tomorrow all the things were gone,
I'd worked for all my life.
And I had to start again,
with just my children and my wife.

I'd thank my lucky stars,
to be livin here today.
‘Cause the flag still stands for freedom,
and they can't take that away.

And I'm proud to be an American,
where at least I know I'm free.
And I wont forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.

And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.

From the lakes of Minnesota,
to the hills of Tennessee.
Across the plains of Texas,
From sea to shining sea.

From Detroit down to Houston,
and New York to L.A.
Well there's pride in every American heart,
and its time we stand and say.

That I'm proud to be an American,
where at least I know I'm free.
And I wont forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.

And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.

And I'm proud to be and American,
where at least I know I'm free.
And I wont forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.

And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.

30 Day Blog Journal - Day 28

Day 28 - name something on your want list

WANT:

Fill in the blank Friday......

1. If I could get away somewhere for the weekend I would go ___________ to a beach house with my family for a weekend of sun, fun, & grilling!! :O)
2. Something I often rant about is ____________ I wouldn't say rant, but phone solicitors really annoy me!
3. One item I need to have in my fridge at all time is____________ Diet Coke.
4. My "life-saving" product is___________bubble bath!! I gotta have my bubble bath. :O)
5. A friend is someone who __________is always there when you need them.
6. If I could write my own blank it would be ____________What is something most people don't know about you?
7. My favorite kind of art is___________ photography {especially black & white}.

30 Day Blog Journal - Day 27

Day 27 - my worst habit

Definitely....procrastination!!! I have every intention in the world to do something now, but I can put things off forever....right Mom???? :O)

Five Question Friday - May 27

1. Do you apologize to your kids? Yes, I do. Sometimes I get upset with them over something I think they did before letting them explain.....remember, they are 15 & 22!!! I am quick to apologize if I'm wrong though.
2. What color are your nails right now? I have a manicure appointment on Thurs. I took the polish off my fingernails yesterday so they are bare, but on my toes: OPI- Guy Meets Gal-veston!
3. When you were growing up, how difficult was it for you to stay home from school sick? (As in, did you have to vomit or just say "I don't feel good".) I'm another one of those kids who never missed school (unless I was really sick). ;O)
4. When is the last time you bought a new comforter for your bed? About 2 years ago. It's a really pretty set from the Martha Stewart line- the colors are mocha & light jade.
5. Favorite website(s)? Blogger

Extreme Couponing

Coupons.....haven't they been around forever? I can remember my Mom using them as far back as the 70's and when I got married in '83, I started clipping them too. My saving money with coupons also led to my discovery of "refunding" or "rebating"! When my kids were smaller I used spend hours filling out rebate forms, attaching cash register receipts, and digging through boxes of UPC codes or proof of purchases I had filed in boxes. My mailbox was always full of rebate checks, free coupons, toys, t-shirts, and other free goodies. It was definitely addictive! Who doesn't want to get something free or save lots of money? Over the years, I guess life just got too busy for me, and little by little the coupon clipping slowed down and my refunding "hobby" became almost nonexistant. I do use an occasional coupon, and I get free Diet Coke coupons from mycokerewards.com (at least I get something back from all the Diet Coke I drink!!), but I'm far from the "extreme couponer" I used to be. I've kind of gotten excited about couponing again since watching the show on TLC. I do have mixed feelings about how extreme some of them are, I mean 75 bottles of mustard...really? When I used to do my "freebie" shopping sprees, I did it on a much smaller scale, but even so, I only bought what I knew my family would use. If there were items I had excess of, I'd share with my family or friends. I don't like the idea of "hoarding" food. I hope to get back into using coupons on a regular basis, and maybe once a month do an extreme shopping trip. There are so many great websites out there on the internet now, so I need to get back on the coupon bandwagon and start saving some money.

I remembered that I was featured in a refunding magazine when Nathan was about a year old. I scanned the article to post here. I got $105.00 worth of formula for $34.00!!

This was posted in Refunding Makes Cents Magazine (I checked and it's still out there...online too!) Nathan was so cute holding all those free cans of formula!!

So I'm on a mission.....clip those coupons...save more money! I really haven't taken advantage of the online coupons that you print from the computer either. I did join Arby's site and got a free sandwich just for signing up, but there are so many deals I'm missing out on. I need to change that now.....off I go......

30 Day Blog Journal - Day 26

Day 26 - something important you have planned for the next week

We are going to my nephew's graduation...Congratulations Derek!!!!

30 Day Blog Journal - Day 25

day 25 - my day, in great detail

Today was a pretty normal day so here goes:

I got up at 7 a.m., had a bowl of peanut butter Capt. Cruch, and talked with Peter for a few minutes before he left for work. I got on the computer to check my blog, my email, and a few other sites, then I got ready for work, made my "list" for the day, planned dinner, and started a load of laundry. I got Nathan off to school, did another load of laundry, made beds, and headed to work. I got home around 3:00, after going by the grocery store to pick up a few things for dinner and stopping by the post office. Once I got home, I made dinner- today we had meatloaf, baked potatoes, string beans, & sweet tea. After dinner, I packed the dishwasher, then went over to my parent's house to visit for about half an hour. I came home and did the kitchen and laundry room floors (w/Swiffer Wet Jet ). I'm on the computer for a few minutes, then I'll fold laundry. We will be watching the finale of American Idol...Go LAUREN!!! :O) After that, I'll take a bubble bath and put my jammies on. I'm usually in bed by 10:30 p.m., but stay up a little longer to watch tv. I'm sure I left out a few things, but you get the idea. That pretty much sums up a day in the life of me!!

Hoo Are You???? Q's

1. What is your favorite thing cooked on the bbq? Steaks, but I also love pork chops in tomato/basil/garlic marinade. YUMMY!!!
2. How do you celebrate Memorial Day? It's one of my busiest weekends at the b&b, so I'm always working. Our town has an annual Memorial Day Service that is really nice- the rest of the family goes to that-wish I could get to see that again. We usually get take-out for dinner, once I get home from work.
3. Do you like your handwriting? I do :O)
4. Do you still have your tonsils? Nope, lost them in the 1st grade!
5. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? I usually slip them off still tied.

30 Day Blog Journal - Day 24

day 24 - where I live

VIRGINIA

30 Day Blog Journal - Day 23

day 23 ~ a picture of my family

30 Day Blog Journal - Day 22

day 22 - a website
One of my favorite and most visited websites is www.passporter.com . I love to plan our trips to WDW and Passporter has all the latest info.

Getting to Know You Sunday ~ May 22

1. what's your favorite rainy day activity? I like to catch up on some of the stuff I have on dvr or watch a movie.
2. what time do you go to bed? I normally go around 11:30 p.m.
3. how many magazines do you subscribe to? Only one right now....Real Simple. The guys get Sports Illustrated.
4. did you sell all your belongings because you thought the world was ending yesterday? Nope.....
5. what's your beauty obsession? I must have moisturizer...I despise dry skin!!
6. if you could only wear one designer/brand for the rest of your life...what would it be? IDK....if I could only wear one brand, I guess I'd choose Old Navy or Gap maybe.
7. what's your summer must have? FLIP FLOPS!!!
8. do you make weekly dinner menus? I do, somewhat, in the fall/winter when I'm home all the time. Spring/summer months I work at the b&b, and just kind of take it a few days at a time. I really love planning menus for the week though.

SUYL- Main Dish Recipe & 30 Day Blog Journal - Day 21

I'm linking up with Kelly for SUYR -Main Dish Recipe and Day 21 - a recipe

Best Meatloaf Recipe Ever!!!

I found this recipe a few years ago in a Taste of Home magazine. My family loves it!!

MEATLOAF

2 eggs

2/3 c. milk

3 slices bread

1/2 c. chopped onion

1/2 c. grated carrot

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1 t. parsley

1 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

1-1/2 lb. ground beef

TOPPING:

1/2 c. tomato sauce

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 t. mustard

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a large bowl, beat eggs, add milk and bread(torn in pieces). Let stand. Add onion, carrot, cheese, and seasonings to egg mixture. Add beef and mix well. Form into loaf and put in shallow baking dish (I line with foil for easy clean up). Bake @ 350 degrees for 45 min. Combine sauce and pour over meatloaf. Bake about 30 mins. more or until no longer pink. Let stand 10 mins. before serving.

Five Question Friday - May 20

1. Do you and your spouse go to bed at the same time? On most nights we do, however, if he's finishing a ballgame or I'm watching something I have on dvr that he isn't interested in, we go at different times, but that's not very often.
2. A question for the ladies...What kind of facial hair do you like on your man? He has a mustache and goatee. He keeps talking about shaving it off, but I say not!
3. What's the worst vacation you've ever taken? During our last vacation to FL, we spent the week in WDW, which was awesome, but on one of our last days there we drove to Daytona for the day to watch the race (Bud Shootout). I didn't realize at the time, but I was getting sick with what would be the beginning of 2 weeks of the worst flu I've ever had. It was one of the worst days ever!!!! I felt horrible!! I stuck it out though (for hrs!!!), because I knew how much Peter wanted to see the race and experience the Daytona Speedway, but for me, it was not so good...:O(
4. What's the first-ever blog you followed? I think it might have been Kelly's Korner or Savvy Southern Style.
5. Do you enjoy amusement parks? I {LOVE}them....the bigger the roller coaster the better!!!! Crazy!!!

more random stuff about me......

Questions:
1. Crunchy or smooth peanut butter? I prefer a PBJ with smooth peanut butter and strawberry jelly. 2. What is your favorite color Rose? Pink roses are my favorite!
3. Do you remove your shoes when you walk into your home? Yes I do, I hate wearing shoes around the house.
4. What is your favorite season? Love, love FALL!!!! I love the cool, crisp weather, the beautiful fall colors, the holidays,the decorations, and best of all, it's when my season at the b&b ends and I get to be a SAHM until spring!!!! :O)
5. Approximately how many hours a day do you spend blogging? since I'm back to work full-time now, I guess I spend about an hour a day.

my dream house.....part 3

Moving on to my dream bedroom. I actually like a combination of the pictures below. Let's start with a nice, big comfy bed. We have a queen size bed now, but I would really love a king size bed w/ a Temper Pedic mattress!! Next, bedding.....something comfy, and pretty. I really like the colors in our bedroom now -mocha and light teal (aqua). I wouldn't mind something in a pretty shade of green, but I would most likely stick with neutrals. I'm not picky about the bed itself, but I prefer no footboard, and I really like upholstered headboards.
I don't like matchy-matchy furniture, I would like a bedside table on either side of the bed, good lighting for night-time reading, and oh yes, a fireplace * a flat screen tv above it a plus! :O) I'd like a chaise or other comfy seating area for those times I just want to sneak away from the daily chaos. I prefer nice, big windows to let the sunshine in, but pretty window treatments to close for privacy or to darken the room on the rare days I get to sleep in...yeah right!! :O) I guess that does it for the master bedroom, exept I would really, really love a big walk-in closet and a master bath!

30 Day Blog Journal - Day 19 & 20

Day 19 - a talent of mine
Day 20- a hobby of mine
I had to think about this one, as I really don't think of myself as talented. I love to scrapbook and I think my albums turn out pretty good (at least I love them!), so I guess I'll say a talent (and hobby) of mine is scrapbooking. Here are a few pages from some of my completed scrapbooks:
Our first NFL football game!!! Chicago Bears vs. Carolina Panthers Game Oct 10, 2010

Our family trip to WDW 2010~~~