Couponing!

So I have decided to take up extreme couponing. I have taken several steps to prepare myself for this, and feel I have finally started and wanted to share my experience!

At first I thought I could just clip some coupons and head to the store and the deals would rain! LOL. Wrong. To save a decent amount, besides maybe a dollar or two on a huge shopping trip it takes careful planing,clipping, and organizing. Once I realized this, I decided to ask for help. I talked to a few friends and then hit the jack pot with Tiffany Phillips, AKA, Money Saving Mom of 5. You can check out her blog here: http://www.moneysavingmomof5.org/
She is your everyday mom, with the knowledge and skills you need to coupon like a pro! Also she teaches classes on it too! I went to her class in Bellefountaine, Ohio on Feb 16th. You pay $5.00, it pays for the huge packet you get, and helps cover her gas. She drives all over and teaches these classes, and is always available to answer any questions you may have. Visit the link on her blog to find out her class schedule, and go if you want to learn! Her class cleared up so many questions and confusion I had and between the packet she gives out and the notes I took during the class, I felt ten times more prepared to go out and get a bargain.

So my obvious first step was I took the Coupon Class. This helped me line up my other steps to get me rolling.
Next I organized a list of the prime stores I planned to shop at. Most of which required membership/reward cards. Before now I was very much guilty of getting everything from Wal-Mart. From now on, I won't hardly be going there because that is just not where the coupon bargains are!
After that I bought  two Sunday papers, and set a alarm in my phone to remember to get one next Sunday. I easily forget these and they are very important. I am missing out on deals this week, because I don't have the coupon inserts from the paper.
So after I got my stores in order, and have my first set of coupons, I set down and reviewed several blogs that post coupon comparisons, and planned a trip. I lined up my coupons with products and locations, and was ready to roll.
Then finally I went on my first trip, only to one store, it was hard not having those other coupons to make a trip to all the stores. So I settled on Walgreens.
I got food and some bathroom items, and between coupons and sales I saved 67%. Which I was pretty proud of for my first trip out.

It is gonna take me a week or two to really get into the groove of it and have big savings on a regular basis, but I know if I stick to it I can.
Oh and I am helping others because any expired coupons I don't use I can send to families in the military over seas and they can use them!

30 Things I want my kids to know about me Part 4

Here we go again!

Number 10:
Describe your most embarrassing moment.
I can't honestly come out with one solid moment, and that's because I spent a lot of my life making sure I wasn't caught in those kinds of situations. Honestly though, the most embarrassing thing that happened to me fairly often growing up and still some times does today is I get confused. I have very mild dyslexia and I will reverse the meaning of a word with its opposite or forgot which way spells a word properly. It really makes me feel super dumb that I can't recall the correct meaning or spelling when trying to express myself. On many occasions where that has happened people have called me out on it and laughed at me.

Number 11:
Describe 10 pet peeves you have.
1. Lazy people. People who think that things should just happen for them or will work out with no work involved.
2. Dirty people. People who cannot clean up after themselves and think it is perfectly okay to just be nasty and trashy.
3. When people don't know how to shut off the lights, shut doors or cabinets, or close containers after use.
4. When people don't put things away after using them, or use them without my permission(things they need to ask for that is.)
5. Bad drivers. Thanks for not only risking your life but mine all because you either don't care, or think your the best driver out there.
6. When the people I live with feel they need to have the TV on 24-7. I can't stand that. I need something more interactive then a screen to stare at, and eventually it gives me a headache.
7. When my dogs won't quit barking, especially when there is NOTHING to be barking at!!!
8. Discovering someone ate all of something I wanted, rarely happens, but when it does it drives me nuts. Used to happen to my ice cream a lot, but I put a stop to that!
9. Ungrateful people. You have everything in the world handed to you and you aren't grateful or only expect more. I hate that.
10. People who think they are above the law. I don't care if you smoke pot, power to you, but you seriously have no right to be pissy when you get caught. Same for any other kind of law breaking.

Number 12:
Describe a typical day in your current life.
Well, this is a boring one now. To reduce stress and to deal with being sick 24-7 from being pregnant, I don't do much. On a normal weekday I sleep in with Justin until about noon because he gets home so late. We either hangout together at home, watching TV and eating something , or run a few quick errands until he goes to work around 2-2:30. Then depending on the day I entertain myself on the computer or if not feeling well take a short nap. Then I spend time with the dogs until Jeremy gets here from work, and he usually spends the evening with me. Either we cook dinner together or separately, and watch some TV together. Then usually at a decent time he goes home and I entertain myself until Justin gets home. We eat, and spend some time together and then off to bed, usually around 2 am or 3 am. Weekends we get more time to hang out together.

Number 13:
Whats the hardest part of growing up?
For me personally, the hardest part was not wanting or getting the help I needed with my mental disabilities. It would have changed everything.
I would say though the hardest part in general is the fact your so young your world feels so huge, and any problems you face seem so much harder then they really were. Boys, school, family, everything seemed so big, and it just blows my mind to look back now and think that those problems are nothing compared to now.

30 Things I want my Kids to know about Me

So I was going through Pinterest. One of my favorite pass times. When I came across this great idea. The Pin was 30 Things I want my Kids to know about Me. That is a big thing of mine. I am currently writing a baby journal. This book has all of my current thoughts and feelings, and so they can know I loved them before I ever met them. Then I am the kind of person that is moved by certain stories and movies. One story that always moves me is when a parent leaves behind messages or notes, sometimes certain items for their child to remember them and know them. If something were to ever happen to me, it would mean a lot a to me. So I journal for myself, I journal for the baby, I write a blog, and I scrapbook. So now I have found this neat list of things, kind of like questions, to let my child know who I am now. This is detailed so it may take several posts.
Number One:
List 20 Random Facts About Yourself:
1. My name is Panda Michelle and I was named after my mothers best friend in high school.
2. My favorite color changes nearly all the time, I like pink, blue and green mostly.
3. Coco is my first real pet. I love her so much I have a tattoo to represent her.
4. I never cut my hair short until I was 16, until then it was past my butt.
5. I love piano music.
6. Since I can remember I have always wanted my first child to be a girl.
7. I got my drivers licence when I was 18.
8. I am addicted to SIMS games. Currently Sims3.
9. I am 5'7.
10. I love fresh veggies and fruits. People hate how green peppers smell and I eat them raw.
11. I love Vampires and wanna be one, lol.
12. I believe there is a god, but I am in no way his servant.
13. I love to go to yard sales and bargain shop.
14. I am a artist, and I love to paint and draw.
15. I try to be Eco friendly.
16. I believe one person can make a difference.
17. I didn't plan on having kids til I was 30.
18. I am the oldest of the oldest of 7 kids.
19. I got married when I was 18, and generally, that's a bad idea.
20. I collect Jewelry.

This is all for now. To be continued!

Pregnancy Changes: 11 Weeks

I just got out of the shower and while I was in there I did some deep thinking. Well, I did some thinking lets say that. The biggest thought on my mind was how my body and habits have already changed so much now that I am pregnant. So instead of fulling up facebook with tons of random statuses on what my body is up to, I thought a nice blog would summarize it. I am 11 weeks today, roughly.

First off is the visible physical changes. There isn't anything noticeable unless I am in my undies. Basically the space between my hip bones no longer curves in and has begun its slight curve outward. I am also slightly bloated, so it has me a little pudge around the middle. So basically slightly bigger, but I think I still could take a decent bikini picture.

Next is the eating. Cravings set in early. They are more like urges. Except for meat. That one is a craving for sure. Before I was pregnant I ate on average twice a day. I ate around noon something small, and then a larger dinner. It wasn't me starving myself either, I just wasn't hungry. That has completely changed now. I feel hungry what seems like all the time! I can eat and be hungry an hour later. Now I eat a small breakfast, trying to eat something that will sit well on my stomach to start the day. Then usually some sort of couple of bites snack, and either a couple more snacks or a lunch, then I have dinner. Which thank god I am finally feeling well enough to cook. Then after dinner I stay up late, so usually two more snacks. If I nap during the day it eliminates one or two snacks all together. The biggest change is the meat. I crave meat. I am nearly a vegetarian, and now I am wanting a damn near raw steak! Meat has always been something I was super picky about because I don't like cutting it up, hard to chew, doesn't sit well with my stomach. I am basically like an old person when it comes to REAL meat. Give me cold cuts or ground meat any day and no big deal. Now I am all over steaks, chops, you name it!

Another big change is mood. Half of this change is pregnancy change and the other half is no meds change. The pregnancy part is the tears. I cry over EVERYTHING. A picture of a puppy and baby? Tears. Sharing a Christmas memory? Tears. It has been crazy. That super cute baby outfit at WalMart? Tears. The other big mood change is no drugs. Stress equals Anger. Flat out. I try not to interact with anyone outside my household for fear I will freak out. I haven't yelled at anyone outside of immediate family and friends who understand. Which is good.  The mixture of my anxiety and bipolar, and the fact I am pregnant, make me get super angry over normally small stressors that don't even merit a reaction half the time. So it goes without saying I cannot wait to be back on my happy pills. I recognise I have a problem and to be a good functioning person I need medication. I can't even tell my reactions are irrational at times. But it is good I can see that.

The last thing I can think of that has really changed is I have extreme and vivid dreams. I normally dream every night, but this is so different. I dream more detailed dreams and more creative dreams. Dreams I remember much more details to, and ones that convince me when I wake up that my reality has changed. I was convinced the other day when I woke up that Justin never existed!! Crazy!

Power Outage June 2012

Well this blog officially starts
Friday June 29th, 2012.
 I came home from my part time babysitting job around 4pm. Heather, who I babysit for, gave me a ride home so her husband could repair my van. It was hot and only mildly overcast, so I went in and checked on my little doggies. I had just bought wormer for them the night before and went ahead and administered all the babies. Cami had to be wrapped in a towel like a taco so I could administer her medicine. After that I really felt tired since I didn't sleep well the night before, so I went to lay down for a nap. I cranked up my air conditioner and started to lay down to relax. I laid there for a few minutes and just had a weird feeling, and I noticed it had gone nearly pitch black and it was only 4:40pm at this point. Looking out the window in my room I saw the trees thrashing about and decided it was time for me and the puppies to go down to the basement. So I grabbed my blanket and pillow and headed down stairs. After taking a minute to get things arranged downstairs, I went back up for candles and puppies. and shut all of us down stairs. I would say we were sitting down there for five minutes and all hell broke loose. It stormed and while it sormed the fun began for me. Ian, Jeremy's puppy saw the cat food bag and decided he was hungry and started pawing the bag. Plus Toast (the cat) was staring at it like you better feed me! So I poured a big bowl, which Cami, Coco, Ian, and Toast ate like crazy. Then everyone settled down a little bit. Cami cuddled up between my legs under the blanket. Then about ten minute later she started to get up, crawled over one leg (all under the blanket)and gaged a coughed a little. I thought she was going to throw up under there but managed to hold it. Oh no, she started licking my leg a second later. Cami is the kind of dog that doesn't ever lick people. So I flip back the blanket and sure enough she puked down the length of my leg. So as I start to get off the fold up bed and pull off the blanket I hear Coco retching accross the room and throws up a nice big pile her self. Oh and at this point the power has gone completely out and I am cleaning up dog barf by candle light.

Finally, after a solid 30 minutes of horrid storm and a mild 30-45 minute of mild rain it was finally over. I ran out in the driveway and cleared the larger limbs off the driveway. I lit candles all over the place and began my count of hours without power. I met Justin and Chris in the living room with candles lit so they could see to get in.

Saturday June 30th, 2012
Well, this would have been a perfectly okay day. Except I chose this week to get lazy and put off buyinh my bipolar meds until last min. Friday morning I missed a dose, no big deal. Well, WalMart was behind so I couldn't pick up my script at noon like I planned. Then with the storm and no van I for got in the evening. So by Sat morning, I was missing dose number 3, and I woke up sick as a DOG. It was a like the flu while riding the tilt-a-whirl. I wanted to barf and cry. Luckily Walmart in Urbana who had my meds, and no power, had enough generators to be running their pharmacy. Jeremy ran into town and bought my meds and some food. I took a pill, ate and then took another. I slept off most of the sickness it ensued catching my system back up to where it needed to be.  So most of Saturday was spent sleeping. Then we went over to Heathers house to borrow her generator, because they got their power back on in the morning. After that we went to the WalMart in Marysville to stock up on some candles because rumors were we could be without power for a week or more.

Sunday July 1st, 2012
The house was finally starting to get pretty hot, so my solution was for us to do a clean and rearrange of the basement. So I gathered up all the guys and it took us nearly and hour, but we got the basement arranged in a open way with two twin beds and the couch down there so we could all relax. It is extremely cool, almost cold in my basement, and this way we could all sleep there without the heat bothering us. Jeremy, Justin and I spent most of the day chilling down there, and then Chris went to work. Shortly afterwards we left to deliver some stuff a friend of Justins bought and picked up lunch. We thought why not waste some time walked around the mall. Which turned out to be a mistake, since we weren't there 10 minutes and the storming began. It made the power blink in the mall and the shops started closing a little early. We head out to the from door and see nothing but grey and rain. Finally we made a break for the van and got soaked in the process. We got safely home, more branches down and still, no power.

Monday July 2nd, 2012
We sleep in, and around ten am Justin wakes me up and points at a light that was now magically on. Power was back!!!
I ran around the house plugging in fridges, turning on the air conditioners and closing all the windows. Today was the best ever. Then Jeremy, Chris and I went out to a junk yard to get some parts for the van. After we got back we all did out own thing until closer to dark and then as it cooled down outside we all picked up the down branches and twigs everywhere and hauled them around back to be burnt. We separated the burn barrel from the fire ring, so we burnt trash in the barrel with some leaves. Then we burnt the clean wood in the burn ring and roasted marshmellows and hotdogs. Making the end of our two and a half days of no power pretty sweet.

Kat Von D

With my new job, I have been able to watch LA Ink everyday, Monday through Friday. So I knew of Kat Von Drachenburg, or more commonly known as Kat Von D before watching the show. Since I have been watching it I have become more interested with her as a person.

After watching several episodes I am completely blown away at how amazing she is as a artist. She really understands what the person wants and is great at bringing out the real image and meaning that the customer is looking for.

I really also admire how confident she is in her own body and appearance. Society today is so harsh on how we should look and act, and she takes her unusual look and makes it something truly beautiful to behold.

I am more the conservative body artist, with only one small tattoo myself. Her style is inspiring me to consider more for myself. I would have to say she is a pretty inspirational woman!

All the pictures for this blog post were found on a google search of her name. I basically wanted to show off her brilliant tattoos as well as her grace.

Just an Update

Not much new has happened this week really, but I love to write so I am sure I can come up with something.
Basically Chris and Kat have been applying for jobs all this last week. I got more stuff unpacked that we brought back form Iowa. I am finding tons of treasures I had left behind. We now have all of my DVD's here and many more books. Discovering everything I packed up is like Christmas! Very few things are broken or unusable. There were some issues with mold and some bathroom items dried up, other then that most things survived. It has been bringing back some great memories as well. Sitting back it feels great to know how far I have come in life. My belongings really show how hard work has paid off. We brought back one of my old dressers that is missing two drawers. I keep it because it reminds me that I didn't always own nice things. Plus we need another dresser. When I got that dresser though, it was that dresser or nothing because there was no way we could afford to go out and buy one, where now if I wanted to, we could convert to all matching furniture. I love what we own, and the people I have in my life now.
Having kids here has been nearly as much a pain as joy, but I wouldn't change it for the world. They are great kids, but not perfect like any other kid. I was able to get them free bikes today! We are working harder in getting them potty trained, because Melissa will be going to kindergarten next year. They are smart kids though, and learn quickly.
I guess I would say over all I feel pretty blessed. I keep my life drama free, I have people as my family because they chose to be, and I have everything I need. I am very interested to see what life has in store for us from here!

My Heart

I finally finished my button heart! I uploaded two pictures of it against two different backgrounds, so you could see the colors of it well. I love how it turned out. It did take several sessions, but actually only used 3/4 of a .66 once bottle of Dollar Tree glue. 

Christmas Time

Once again Christmas has rolled around on us. The year has flown by and we are putting up trees and shopping like mad! I think I finally have all my shopping done. I wrapped it up on Black Friday. I would love to write a blog on the Black Friday deals I got, but 90% of the are Christmas gifts, and cannot be revealed until December 25th. So, that being said, this blog is going to be about just Christmas sadly. First off, I already had a head start in my wrapping and used a ton of gift boxes I purchased last year marked down after the holidays.

That is my huge stack of wrapped gifts, all for Chris, Jeremy, and Justin. I still have a lot more wrapping to do before I am finished and I am custom making a few gifts as well. So I have a lot do do before I am done, but I am excited to see what everyone thinks of their gifts this year. Last year we were really tight and Christmas just wasn't that great. I also have my tree up and decorated, but I want to add some more ornaments before I take pictures. This year is a blue and silver theme.

New Blogger

Wow, I am trying out the new blogger lay out and it has all this imformation telling you how many age views you have. I did not even realize that so many people viewed my blo, considering how few comments I ever get. I am super happy though that my stuff gets viewed!

April 2011

Well the lack of blogging has not been because of lack of want to. I love to blog, just knowing I am sharing my thoughts and life with the world is a awesome experience. So I am going to make is a point to sit down at least once or twice a week and write about what is interesting me lately. There are so many things going on at work and home that I know I have a limitless amount of topics. Also I am changing my style of writing a little. This new format is basically just going to be more individual posts, to help separate topics. I know I have a serious tendency to ramble from topic to topic. When a reader comes to my blog they can easily tell what articles I have written that they may be interested in reading, because not everyone may be interested in my personal life. So that's my update, here we go!

Hey!

Okay, I am very excited to have Internet again and I have honestly been thinking of writing several different blogs. Some of the topic's that have crossed my mind are the recent deaths due to bullying and teenage pregnancy and the hype behind it. Things either come up or either it is like 3 am and I am in bed thinking what a great idea it would be to write about it.
Today we took coco to the vet, she hurt her back again and had completely stopped eating. He recommended treatment, and we have nice meds and soft food for her for a couple of weeks. I am so glad she is getting better and she is so good about resting. After she does get better I am going to see about getting rugs for the hallway and making sure she doesn't attempt to jump onto the couch anymore. I don't want her to take any unnecessary risks. I miss having her walk to the mailbox everyday with me.
Justin is doing wonderfully at his new job. He is adjusting well to Ohio life. We stopped at a book store in Urbana called Ole Book Nook. They were the only place in town that had his new book that got released yesterday. So we are pretty thrilled with the place. I even wrote a review for it on Yahoo! Business.
Well look forward to some more blogs in the future, I plan to pull some more ideas together and do some research. Then I will be back to write some more!

Feeling Pretty!

Well, I know my mom is going to love this post, because most of it is about the stuff she bought me for Christmas. Today I decided I would try out the make-up and stuff she bought me. First off I was addicted to some make-up when I was younger, but kind of grew out of wearing it on a regular basis. I think that is mostly because I developed a kind of allergy to it. Mostly I think it is because I wore the cheap stuff. I mean when I was a kid I mostly wore Avon, which isn't too bad. When I moved out on my own, I in no way could afford to pay ten bucks for mascara! So I eventually stopped wearing it all together. Not that it was a bad thing, because during that time I really learned to love how I look naturally. Which being able to accept yourself as you are is very important. Anyways, my mom has discovered a really awesome way to get make-up cheaply from Walgreens. So for Christmas she got me a nice make-up bag and tons of quality make-up that is mostly nourishing or hypoallergenic.

Okay, first off today I wore Rimmel eye liner. Which was really awesome, because it goes on smoothly, and I don't have to press very hard. My eyes are a little sensitive. Then I wore Almay one coat nourishing mascara. This is a great product because I even took a nap wearing it, and it doesn't do that thing were it gets your lashes all crunchy and itchy. I tried out some of the eye shadow, it was Markwins, a nice bronze color. Which the lipstick was the same brand. I loved the color because it was a nice auburn that had a slight glitter to it.

Now my biggest issue is finding cover up that works, doesn't itch, and doesn't come off with the slightest touch. Today I tried out the Cover Girl Aqua smooth mom got me. You use a small sponge and rub it onto trouble areas. It blends really nice and I couldn't even tell I was wearing it.

Honestly, if I had to go out and buy all this off the shelf full price I would say she could have easily spent two to three hundred dollars on the make-up. The stuff I mentioned above is only a couple of the things in the bag she got me. I have several different types of cover up, mascara, lipstick, eye shadow, and eye liner. She also got me some gentle makeup remover. I also use cleansing pads on my face so it stays more clear.

Trust me, I never thought I would see the day I would write an entire blog post about make-up, but honestly I went out today and felt pretty. It made me feel more confident to know that I didn't just look ok, I looked really good. Confidence is key to happiness and success in life.

Changes

Wow, it has been a long time since I have written, but that's okay. I have been super busy with a lot of different things! First off Coco's puppies will be nine weeks old on Sunday and they are still for sale! As well as Egypt, who is eight months old this month. We couldn't get our basement fixed at our old house, so we decided moving was the best option. After being given a long run around, we were able to get financed to buy a three bedroom manufactured home at the Sunrise Terrace Mobile Home park. The house has to stay here for four years, after that we plan on moving it to some land we plan on buying between now and then. We moved in here the last week of September, and so far I love it here. We are building custom shelves into the living room wall, so we have a nice place to store all our movies in there. I have been working on sanding and staining the wood myself. Chris is the builder and puts it all together. I think I am going to put one big shelf in my bedroom as well, for all my books. The master bedroom has a large garden tub that looks like a hot tub! I love all the space we have here. Plus they gave us our own space to store my car. Justin finally got me to go to one of this Pokemon tournaments with him. I played and had a blast. We are planning on going back again.
The house is still a moving mess for the most part. I don't work at Wal-Mart anymore. I got fired for stupid reasons, which was proven since I get unemployment from them. I still work at the library, but I am looking for a desk job at a hotel preferably. My Lyme's is up and down right now, I haven't finished transferring all my paper work yet so I can see my family doctor, instead of the dude in Grinnel who was ripping us off. I have been having big issues with putting things off lately, I know about things I have to get done, but I just seem to forget until I am in bed at night. It is very frustrating. I have been working on it.
A couple of days ago, we decided to take on a special needs dog. Her name is Lulu and she came from a drug house. She is ten weeks old and can't walk. Basically our goal is in the next six months is to teach her how to walk and be a normal dog her age. She is a sweet white terrier mix. She is always so happy too. Today we got her to play with all the puppies and it was pretty fun. We did have one couple come and look at buying one of the puppies today, but they said they would have to think about it. They were looking for a smaller chihuahua then these. Mine at the biggest are only ten pounds, but then I guess they were looking for something tiny. I really need to get at least one sold because I am taking Coco in to get fixed in a week and a half. So I could really use the money for that.
My family has the flu, so I am avoiding them for now. I have started my Christmas shopping. Everyday is a challenge to unpack more and get stuff done!

The Ugly Truth

A friend of mine posted this on their facebook page, and I found so many of these things true to me and truly funny! Read and see how many you relate to!

--More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me.

--Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

--That's enough, Nickelback.

--I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

--Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no Internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

--There is a great need for sarcasm font.

--Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the hell was going on when I first saw it.

--I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that every one's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.

--How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

--I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

--I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

--The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.

--Was learning cursive really necessary?

--I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

--Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

--MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

--I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

--Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

--I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

--Bad decisions make good stories.

--Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem....

--You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

--Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

--I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

--I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'

--While watching the Olympics, I find myself cheering equally for China and USA. No, I am not of Chinese descent, but I am fairly certain that when Chinese athletes don't win, they are executed.

--I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Damnit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

--I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

--It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.

--I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

--Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it.

--Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, hitting the G-spot, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet my ass everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time...

--It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.

--I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

--I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

--I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.

--The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then estimated that there must be at least four people. Too bad I was eating by myself.

It has been a while since I last updated. I just haven't been in the writing mood even though I have a lot to write about. Coco had her puppies on Aug. 16th. She gave birth to six live puppies and one still born fetus. That is an amazing record for a chihuahua. Sadly the next day the runt of the litter died. He had a lot going against him, because when he was born he was half the size of the others, and Coco bit off his umbilical cord too short and bit a whole in his stomach. Chris and I tried so hard to save him. We even took him to the vet. In the end though his little heart couldn't support his body. Chris buried him in the front yard. I cried all after noon that day. Yesterday Chris spent all day putting up a fence around the entire yard so we can take the dogs outside. He even custom made a gate for it! It looks great. Justin helped out by pulling weeds and a bunch of plants we didn't want. We are going to lay down some pavers the make a area for the trash cans. It is going to look really nice.

I have already had one company come out and do a estimate on the basement. It needs water proofing and reinforcement done. It came to a larger total then I first expected, so now I am checking with other companies and looking into financing. Once we have the basement water proofed then we can slowly work on making it into several different rooms that I want and need. I am considering going into the grooming business, but haven't really decided yet.

I got curtains for Chris's room on sale at Walmart, they are navy blue. It was an awesome deal. I also found a really good deal on tennis shoes for Chris and Justin, both them needed a new pair pretty bad. Things are going pretty well here now, we are getting along well. I haven't been to work at walmart in nearly a month. I am still waiting for paper work to process. I went and applied for unemployment today, and they said I should get it. A lot of stuff has been going on lately. Things have been getting done and that makes me pretty happy too. The yard is looking good and so is the house too. So I feel like I have finally accomplished something around here. Which is hard to do because I am always so tired. My Lyme's gives me such bad fatigue. I am so tired right now it isn't funny.

Thank You Ed!

Ed Freeman

You're a 19 year old kid. You're critically wounded and dying in the jungle in the Ia Drang Valley, 11-14-1965, LZ X-ray, Vietnam. Your infantry unit is outnumbered 8-1, and the enemy fire is so intense, from 100 or 200 yards away, that your own Infantry Commander has ordered the Medi-Vac helicopters to stop coming in.You're lying there, listening to the enemy machine guns, and you know you're not getting out. Your family is half way around the world - 12,000 miles away - and you'll never see them again. As the world starts to fade in and out, you know this is the day. Then, over the machine gun noise, you faintly hear that sound of helicopter, and you look up to see an un-armed Huey, but it doesn't seem real, because no Medi-Vac markings are on it. Ed Freeman is coming for you. He's not Medi-Vac, so it's not his job, but he's flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire, after the Medi-Vacs were ordered not to come. He's coming anyway. And he drops it in, and sits there in the machine gun fire, as they load 2 or 3 of you on board. Then he flies you up and out through the gunfire, to the doctors and nurses. And, he kept coming back - 13 more times - and took about 30 of you and your buddies out, who would never have gotten out.

Medal of Honor Recipient, Ed Freeman, died last Wednesday, March 25th, 2009 at the age of 80, in Boise, ID. May God rest his soul. Medal of Honor WinnerEd Freeman! Since the Media didn't give him the coverage of Michael Jackson, send this to every red blooded American you know.

THANKS AGAIN, ED, FOR WHAT YOU DID FOR OUR COUNTRY. RIP.

Sims 3 Legacy

I have started a second blog about the Sims 3 Leagacy Challenge I have started. You can read the rules of the challenge here: http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/39862.page
The link to my new blog is: http://sims3arcane.blogspot.com/
Basically the concept is to take a Sim and start out super poor and in ten family generations became sucessful and rich. So I have created Sophia Arcane. I will be posting a blog about my game play and her story progression as I go. Please feel free to comment!

I don't I have done much interesting with my life. I have been to Adventure Land a few times, I have lived in a few different states, I have attended six different schools, but honestly, nothing really amazing. I just turned 22 earlier this month. I am almost a quarter through my life, and I don't really feel like I have done much interesting. I bought my first house at age 20. It felt like so much then, and now, I just feel like I have could have done more with my life.
I own a guitar I never learned how to play. I still can't drive a stick shift car properly.
But.... I guess over all I am pretty lucky. I have four loving dogs, two cats, and a amazing boyfriend who treats me like a princess. Honestly I don't think I would be able to live without any of them. I don't have a ton of friends, but if I really needed the ones I have, they would be there for me.
I have been really feeling over whelmed lately, because I am working at the library and walmart all the time and I am trying to get things done at home. I am lucky Justin has such great patience with me.
Well, basically this blog was just a random rant to get some thoughts off my mind.

Yard Sales and Flea Markets

Nothing feels better then finding that perfect item to complete your collection or give that final look to a rooms decor. When searching for a particular item you will need to do a little research into where you will want to bargain hunt. Your local paper should have listings of yard sales weekly, although some papers only list addresses, detailed listings are ideal. Once you find your listings take a highlighter and mark ones that have either the item you are looking for or similar items. To help with this try to group like things together. If you are looking for toddler toys, and they list toddler clothes, there is a high chance they will have what you are looking for. Yard sales vary, but with a entire town to discover, you have a greater chance of finding what you need. Depending on the size of the town you plan to bargain hunt in, it may take you only a few hours to up to several. Yard sales can begin as early as 5am, and be open as late as eight or nine at night. So you will want to prioritize your list based on three things, the items for sale, the hours open, and location. Once you have a few sales you have decided you must hit, then look through your list and see what the hours are for each, the earlier you hit a yard sale the better you are at getting what you want. Also keep in mind that hitting the end of a yard sale isn't a bad thing at all, usually that's when the seller is eager to get rid of left over merchandise at lower prices. Often if you buy some thing they will even give away items. This can be great if you are just out and about to discover a new treasure. Now if you have a variety of sales to hit that are open for longer hours, then try to divide up your shopping area into sections, and make a loop out of your trip. If you save on gas that's a extra couple of dollars you can spend on something fun. Flea markets usually run in two different types. There is the type that is like a yard sale, and you can often find a variety of bargains, but you never really know what you will find. The other type is more of a location where vender's come together and sell products they got cheaply at whole sale price. These kinds you will find quality items but at a decent price. Once again, unless it has some sort of theme, you never really know what you will find. Some flea markets do charge a entrance fee, which usually isn't much. Depending on how nice the place is that the flea market is located really helps you determine what price range of items you are looking for, and the reason behind that is booth rent. Some places many only charge a tiny rent, while others can be outrageous. So you have to keep in mind that the vendor is trying to earn back that rent, and make a profit. Outdoor markets are usually on the less expensive side, while indoor markets are more of a high end. So when choosing a market to shop, review your budget, and shop wisely. Whether you chose a day at local yard sales, or a trip to a quaint flea market, I can almost guarantee you will find something you just can't live without.