Happy Anniversary Babe

Twenty Five Years ago, I never would have imagined the journey our lives have taken. I'm so happy to have followed this path with you! To another 25 years ...

Looking at Rentals

When we moved to Boise last year, we told ourselves we would stay in the campus apts for the whole 2 years. That it just isn't worth it to move while Michael is in school. But with the economy taking a nosedive, and our budget always being squeezed, we have wondered if there might be a cheaper place to rent. Well, this weekend I did more than wonder ... I went on craigslist to see what was available. I found several potential rentals for $200/less a month! That's quite a savings. Joe and I gave Michael some alone time and did the drivebys yesterday afternoon. And today Michael and I are going to check out a couple more.

We have to really crunch the numbers to make sure we would actually save $$ cuz we get alot of freebies with this apt we're in now, but God may have a place for us. We'll see ... We're praying for wisdom, so if you would like to pray with us, we'd be so honored.

Til next time ...

Gas Prices Creeping Up

Have you noticed the price of gas lately? We used to be able to fill up our small tank with a $20 bill. But no more! Last week I put in $20 and it only went up 3/4 of the way----waaaaaaahhhh! No Fair!! And that was before the price crept up a couple more pennies over the weekend.

So how are the prices in your neck of the woods? Has it affected your driving habits? I know for us, we are not going for our fun weekend drives every weekend now. Have to spread them out over the month. We have been tossing around the idea of heading west to see family after Joe is out of summer school, but again, we'll have to wait and see where gas prices are at that time ...

Til next time ....
Happy Summer!

Help! My MP3 is Dead

One of the quirky things about my special needs son is that he LOVES to chew on hard plastic. The other night when he was in the living room watching cartoons, and I was on the computer. I went to check on him and make sure that all was well, and I found him chewing my MP3 player! Accck!

The next day I plugged it in and it charged up. I can put it on hold and it'll turn on, but there is no sound coming out and when I press the volume button nothing happens. Its been 3 days and still no change.

So, my faithful and treasured geeks ... um, I mean readers, is there anything I can do? Is it really dead? Its a sony brand, which I have liked. I had all my tunes on it and no longer have those tunes on my computer. What do you think?

And if I should have to buy a new one, which brand and model would you go with? I dont' need anything fancy, and a moderate to cheap price would be preferable. Let me know your thoughts

Til next time ....

Random Thoughts

I have been very remiss in keeping my blog up to date! Please forgive me.

First off, do you know about Pandora? I had assumed everyone was already up on that, but then I read a friend's blog and she had just learned of it. So in order to make sure everyone knows, go here. Its a great way to listen to music. And its free! (edited to add: oooops! forgot to add the link the first time!)

Today I dug out my sewing machine and mended some shorts of Joe's, hemmed his shorts that I had cut off, and hemmed up some of my pants that I cut off to capri length. Felt good to get back into the sewing realm. Of course, I have a shirt cut out that I want to stitch up, but that will have to wait for another day.

Did I mention I was getting some blood work done? I don't remember who I've told, and who I haven't. Anyway, I found out my blood sugar and cholesterol readings are too high, so I've been ordered to follow a diabetic diet. I've been reading up and figuring out how to eat and when to eat. Change is never easy, but I seem to be getting the hang of it. The hard part is finding good substitutes for my sweet tooth.

Joe spent his first week at summer school and seemed to really enjoy it! He comes home for an hour and then goes to his afternoon program. He has time to chill between school and his afternoon gig which I think helps alot.

Earlier this week, I found the latest copy of "The Voice of the Martyrs". Anyone else read this? I read the main article to Michael about the persecution in North Korea, and I couldn't complete it without getting choked up. The horrendous torture and persecution the christians endure, because they will not bow to the dictator, but instead worship "the God of heaven" (their term, isn't that a wonderful description?)

The director of VOM also has a wonderful opening letter about evil in this world. Well worth a read if you can get your hands on a copy of it.

On the summer front, the hubster is still at loose ends at home. This must be how wives of newly retired husbands feel. I feel like I keep tripping over him. But hopefully this will change, as he has a potential interview next week. We're just waiting to get a call from the boss who is out of town this week. Prayers would be appreciated.

Til next time ....

Have I Told You Lately ...

.... how much I love freecycle? Well, I love it alot!

This week, a member offered a king size comforter. I jumped at it. Our puppy daisy, remember her, had chewed her way thru our last comforter and when we moved I threw it out. I have priced king size sheets and comforters this past year, but they just aren't in our budget right now. Not only did the member allow me to come pick it up the next day----yipppeee!!! but it is a wonderful celery green/sage color with a beautiful lace overlay in the middle. And it is warm! It was so nice to snuggle under the comforter last night and feel all cozy and warm.

Over the last year I have recieved: cute shoes, pants, tops, fabric, toys for Joe, clothes for Joe, t-shirts for Mike, and lots of other stuff from freecycle. Members usually are just wanting to find someone else who can use what they no longer need. And they don't want to fill up the landfills anymore than we can help it.

I have also donated to others outgrown clothes of Joe's, stuff Mike and I no longer want or need, and toys. Its a win-win situation. So check online and see if there is a freecycle in your area.

Til next time ....

Does the Learning Stop When School is Out?

Ola! Como esta? Queremos visitar Brasil!

Did you understand that? Basically, I was trying to say: Hello, how are you? We want to visit Brazil.



The hubsters and I have been teaching ourselves brazilian portuguese. We haven't gotton very far, but we're having alot of fun with it. We got a book appropiately called "Portuguese in 10 Minutes a Day" Some of the pronunciations give us trouble, but we muddle thru it and laugh a lot.

Someday we'd like to visit Brazil or even live there for a short time and I figure if we learn the language we'll be that much farther ahead.

So what are your summer plans?