Cleaning the car.

Last Sunday and Monday I spent a lot of time cleaning my car, inside and out, with some help from my daughter.  I cleaned all the glass inside and out, even the sunroof, vacuumed with small vacuum tools to get those hard to reach areas.  It looks fabulous when all was said and done, almost brand new!  Here are a few photos to show you.

Doesn't this beauty look like it's new?  The next picture is of some touch up paint, fix up scratch paint.  With a black car, every small knick and scratch shows.  The worst area was in the back, the ledge below the trunk.  I have a feeling most of those came from my daughter banging her French Horn around while she puts it into the trunk.  Anyway, I used this stuff on the scratches and it totally covered them all.  It was wonderful and I would totally recommend buying it to cover up any scratches on your vehicle.  It's at Wal-Mart and costs $5.97.

Have a wonderful evening!  Till next time...

Sitting by the fire.

Wednesday night the boys and I made a fire in our portable fire pit in our driveway.  It was such a nice day out and to end with a fire was relaxing.  Our daughter spend the night at a friends house.  I know our lives get pretty hectic and children can be challenging, but it is a very strange feeling when one of them isn't around!  Alex also got her viola Wednesday.  She was super excited to have one of her own.  She's been waiting and waiting to get playing that again.

Thursday we all went to town as Alex and I had a meeting.  Jason came and picked up the boys when he was finished with work.  They just did some errands.  We met up after the meeting but they decided to go home and we went to the music store.  We bought three viola lesson books, and a few other supplies.  They had an Irish whistle there with a DVD instructional guide on how to play it.  I asked if they could hold it, because I really wanted it and it was the last one.  They said they could hold it till next week, so I'll go early in the week and pick it up.  When we got home she was all over tuning her viola so she could practice.  She had some difficulty with tuning it as the strings would not tighten, turns out one of the screws was slipping.  I put electrical tape on the bottom of it to hopefully prevent the slipping and it seemed to work because she was able to tune it.  Jacob had a friend over for a few hours and they had fun playing games etc.

Friday, which is still my today, the kids and spent the evening outside.  I swept the garage and parts of the driveway.  Alex changed all the burned out light-bulbs in the garage including the ones on the garage opener.  Our lights are pretty high up.  I tried to do it, but got a little freaked out with how high I would be on the ladder.  Alex though, she just climbed right up there to the top and went to work.  We also had another fire in our portable fire-pit, but we had more wood tonight and the kids tried their best at roasting marshmallows on a stick.  Our roasting sticks are in our camper and we don't have that her yet.  It was super nice to sit around the fire with the kids and have that bonding time with them.  After that we came in and watched 127 Hours with James Franco.  It was a pretty good movie, but again it is based on a true story, which I always find great to watch.  After that we watched Megamind.  The kids were really into that, which they should be since it's a kids movie.  I was doing other things like making brownies and laundry, so my viewing was here and there.

Now I'm blogging and then off to bed.  I do want to say something about what's happening in Japan right now.  I felt when this all happened a week ago that over 10,000 people would perish and when the worries began about one of their Nuclear plants, I had a feeling like we could be looking at another Chernobyl incident.  That happened in 1986, but I don't remember much about it.  I hope they can get the reactors cooled down in time to prevent another disaster of that magnitude again.  I've watched a lot of video clips from the tsunami there.  WOW!  So powerful and shocking to watch the power of the water ripping inland destroying anything it touches.  One clip showed people in vehicles trying to get away from it, but you could see they could not.  The water ripped into their vehicles and washed them away.  It is difficult to watch and hear about everything happening over there.  I feel very sad for them.  So I ask that we continue to keep them all in our thoughts and prayers as they move forward and continue to rescue and recover the victims of this multiple disaster.

Some other prayer requests I have are for my friend Joelle, who is continuing her fight against breast cancer, the Bainbridge family who lost their only son in October 2010 at the age of 16 from injuries received in an automobile accident.  Also for our military who are out there everyday fighting for our freedoms, and for everyone who is fighting an illness or disease.

Till next time...take care of yourself!

Another day in ???

Well, here we are, another day in paradise?  Or maybe another day in history?  Either way it's just another day.  It was a pretty good day.  Jason and I started off helping out at the Elementary School with the "Oriole Buck Store" from 8:45am-12pm.  I was rather impressed with my husband, he doesn't do this type of thing, volunteering, so it was a great experience for me to see him being helpful to others, especially children!  He said he even enjoyed it and wouldn't mind doing this again sometime.  I may hold him to that!  It didn't sound like they had the help in the afternoon like they did in the morning, so I told them I could and help then too.  Jason went home because he needed to sleep before he went to work tonight.  He didn't get much last night and when you work 6p-6a, sleep tends to be pretty important.  The time went so fast working at the store, a very quick day.  We were finished around 2:45pm and I had decided I would just stay there and walk home with the boys after school.  I went to Aidan's classroom and spent the last few minutes of the day with him and his classmates.  It felt great to be a part of their day.

The boys and I walked home after school.  It was so pleasant outside with temps in the 60's, absolutely beautiful!  We took our time getting home, stopping to break up the snow/ice chunks on the side of the road, coming off from the curb.  We all had a blast jumping on them, trying to break it all up.  Some didn't work though, too much ice.  Then we came across the drain, so we checked out the fast flowing water dumping into  it, going through the pipe.  Some leaves were covering part of the drain so we tried to remove those to allow the water to flow quicker.  It was an enjoyable walk home.  Of course when we got home it was all about getting their bikes out and going for a ride.  So Alex got Daisy ready to go and the three of them, with the dog, went for a ride around the block.  They would much rather spend the time outside today than in.  I am really looking forward to things coming back to life and bringing back the vibrant feeling of life.

Talking about Daisy, Alex took her for a walk yesterday too and she got very dirty.  So when they pulled into the driveway and into the house I told Alex she was to give her a bath right now.  Our precious Daisy had a bath and was all cleaned up.  Her coat was so shiny and soft afterwards!  But it was hilarious watching her just out of her bath, seeing her tear all around the house, go crazy playing with Alex, settling down only to spurt up again and resume her hyperness.  We couldn't stop laughing!  She then went to the door signalling she wanted to go outside.  I put the that idea to rest.  I knew exactly what she wanted to do.  She wanted to go out and rub herself in the mud, dirt, and snow.  No way was I going to allow that!  She adjusted though, snuggled up on her bed and vegged for a while.  She wasn't brushed afterwards so she shedded quite a bit more than she usually does.

Alex is spending tonight at a friends house tonight so it'll just be me and the boys tonight.  There's no school tomorrow or Friday, it's their Spring Break.  I know there won't be much on TV either, so we just may spend some time playing games or reading.  We have a lot of catch-up to do in our day-by-day Bible readings.  There's always something around the house to do as well, cleaning, laundry, organizing, etc.  I'm sure we'll use the time up with no bordem taking us over.

Till next time, take care of yourself!

Questions...and maybe answers??

For the past five months I have really started thinking about life, and death, a whole lot more.  First I need to say that I am a Christian, I believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.  We would not be here if it were not for them!

So I began wondering about the origins of life and what comes after death.  I was also thinking about space, how the universe came into existence, and everything in it.  I guess you could say I was pondering the concepts of evolution vs. creation.  I mean everything has a beginning and an ending right?  That's when I start thinking about God.  If God made the universe, then who made God, how did he come into existence?  I know a lot of this falls on faith, but this is what I've been thinking about.  Also, can science really prove how the universe began.  We know there is matter and antimatter, which when they come into contact with each other there is a great explosion.  But where did they come from?  God?

I would say I am a big fan of Dan Brown and the movies made from his novels.  I know they are pure fiction, I get that, but the concepts presented in the novels are very thought provoking.  If we look at Angels & Demons, which discusses the "God Particle", the meeting of matter and antimatter, going to the beginnings of the universe, and if science proves how the universe was created, where then does God come in?  Well, science may be able to prove that, but again, where did matter and antimatter come from then????  Then you have The DaVinci Code with the Holy Grail being the royal bloodline of Jesus Christ.  Could it be possible?  Could Mary have been pregnant when Jesus was crucified?  Can you imagine a living descendant of Jesus Christ alive today?  And the Bible, choosing which gospels would be included in it.  The council of Nicea, those members having the power to put what they wanted into the Bible.  The gospel of Phillip was kept out, the Gospel of Mary was not included either, along with several other books chosen to not be a part of the great book.  Also, nearly 1500+ years later, how many times has the Bible been revised?  With so many interpretations out there, which one is right?  Why don't we have access to those books that were not included in the Bible?  Why is everything pertaining to that locked and tucked away in the Vatican???  What would it mean to have a living descendant of Jesus Christ with us today?  I would completely understand their anonymity.  If they were revealed, I'm sure there would be people out to destroy them and discredit them, among other things.  Then you have The Lost Symbol, which, at one point in the book, talks about a weight scale, a very precise weight scale, so precise it measures a single sheet of paper.  In trying to determine whether or not we, as humans, have a soul.  A dying man agrees to be the first to test this, dying on the scale. The scale lightens slightly after his death, giving proof that the soul does exist in our body.  Wouldn't that be incredible to prove that, showing we all have a spirit, a soul within us, that does leave our body upon death!

Now getting back to the universe and how it goes on and on and on and on.  Where does it end?  I have a hard time understanding that it "goes on forever".  It's gotta end somewhere right?  Then I come to life before me and death.  Our planet has been around for millions/billions of years.  Dinosaurs have been gone for millions of years.  First there was Adam and Eve, then the cavemen, then Noah, Jacob, Isaac etc., who populated the planet, eventually leading to Jesus, and to us right now.  People have been around for thousands of years.  I don't want to be in the ground for thousands of years.  I get fearful of dying, thinking about everything I'll miss, my kids, hopefully grandkids etc., but I also know there is more after death.  I just wish we knew what happens after death.  It's not so much what the meaning of life is, it's more about what happens after death.  You'll be dead much, much longer than you were alive.  So what is heaven like?  Again, I have a hard time grasping "forever" in heaven.

So many unanswered questions about our creation and our life after death.

Another Saturday.

For a sleeping in day I sure got up early...8am!  My daughter and I went to town about 11:30am to meet with someone.  After that we went to Wal-Mart to check on some hiking boots that were on sale for our trip to Yellowstone.  I returned the boys boots on Monday because they were the wrong size, but the East side store had the right sizes.  At that time they were on clearance for $10.  We stopped at the West side Wal-Mart yesterday and the same boots were marked down to $5.00.  So today I took the boots back to the East side store and got $10 back, paying $5 instead of $10.  Then there were ladies boots on sale from $30 to $20 so I bought one for me and one for Alex.  I got the wrong size for her so I took her boots back.  Well, at the East side store they had the boots on sale for $10.  Alex was with me, so we got two pairs for $20.  Now I have to return my boots that I paid $20 for.  So in the end, we were able to get four pairs of hiking style boots for $30!  That was my budget for each pair, so instead of spending the $120 I thought we would be spending, we spent only $30!  Score!!!  And sometimes it pays to go to the other store, one of the boys boots were a different style than the others.  The West side store had them on clearance for $15, while the East side had them for sale for $5.00...a $10 difference!  So keep this in mind when you are out shopping, do not hesitate to go to the other store to see if it's cheaper!

While we were in town we also checked out three pawn stores, looking for different things like a viola and camcorder, and if we were lucky possibly a laptop.  The first one we stopped at they had viola's, but they were $200 or more.  You can get a brand new one on ebay for $90!  We checked out a few other stores but didn't really find much.  Then we went out to Second Chance Rescue to see what kind of dogs they had there.  It just so happened to be the day of their 5th Anniversary Open House, so it was quite busy.  There were a lot of large dogs there and only a handful of smaller ones.  It's fun to look and think about getting another, but right now our Daisy is all we need, and her personality fits right in with our family.

It was a pretty good day outside.  The sun was out, the wind was mild, and it wasn't too chilly.  Now we're home and getting ready to retire for the night.

If you are reading this please say a prayer for my friend Joelle.  She is battling Stage III Breast Cancer and has not had encouraging news about the cancer shrinking.  She has a new lump behind her breast plate and on Tuesday she has surgery to remove as much cancer tissue as possible.  She then has to undergo more chemo and will need to add radiation to that.  She is married with six children from ages 2 to 9.  Thank you for praying for her and her family!!!

I got my laptop!

Last Monday, nearly two weeks ago, I finally did it, I ordered a laptop computer from Dell!  Today it arrived!  So nice to be sitting on the couch typing this rather than at the desk, plus we can take this anywhere we go to stay up-to-date with family and friends.  We can also post pictures right away rather than waiting till we get home to download them.  I feel like a little kid with a new toy.  So most of today, well not most of it, but a few hours of today, getting to know my new computer and checking it all out.  I have not used the webcam yet or checked out skype either.  I'll do a little more exploring before I venture into those.

Today has otherwise been a pretty lazy day.  Didn't do much.  I hope tomorrow is a little more productive.  I would really like to get all the weekend work done in one day so I can enjoy the other.  The last couple days I took advantage of our warmer temps and broke down the ice and snow left on the driveway.  I didn't get it all done but I made some significant progress on it.  We're in line for a snow storm next week, not sure how much we'll get, but my goal is to have the driveway cleared before we start the snow again.  It's 15 days till Spring, but our temps now say otherwise.  It was a bit chilly today, below normal temps.  We should be close to the 40's but for the next few days we'll be lucky to make 30, and some days lucky to make 25.  I'm so ready for this snow to melt, the grass to turn green, the trees to grow leaves again, and temps climbing up with each week that comes.

But I guess this up and down weather is a good thing when it comes to melting snow.  Better to do it in phases rather than all at once.  I guess our area in SE SD is fore-casted to have near record flooding this Spring.  We'll see how it all unfolds.

Till next time!

In the near future:

In the near future I will have a job, a full-time job.  I've been job searching for four months now.  At some point someone will offer me a job, I hope!  I check the job sites quite frequently, almost everyday, to see what's new. I'd really like to get back in with the Good Samaritan Society.  I had a really great experience with them in Minnesota and would love the opportunity to work with them in South Dakota, whether it be with National or with a local facility.  Their Christian based organization is so welcoming and appreciated.  Everyone I encountered with the organization was always warm, pleasant, and very friendly!  But for now, I just keep looking and applying, and hoping something turns up and an offer is made and I can get back to working.

Nothing new has been happening in my world.  My days are pretty monotonous and routine, so it can get boring from time to time.  Only 17 days till Spring though and 57 days till the Royal Wedding!  About the only excitement in my world is the planning of our trip out to Yellowstone National Park this summer.  I'm really excited about that and going there with my husband and children.  Sadly we must leave our dog behind.  I wish we could take her.  I haven't asked yet, but I'm hoping my folks will watch her for the 10 days we'll be gone.  So mom, if you read this, will you and dad watch her while we go on vacation??  :o)

I did purchase a lap top the other week!  It should be here tomorrow.  Yeah!  I am excited about this.  It was a pretty good deal too, hard to pass up.  It has a built in webcam and microphone so I can try my hand at Skype!  Now I just need someone to Skype with!  I'm just excited to check it all out, hopefully tomorrow!!!

Overall, I just really want a job, sometime in the near future!