Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Tuesdays With Jen -- My Memoirs


How I Met My Hubby - Part II

The picture is me... right about the time we met. (I was way cuter back then!)

It was a Friday morning. I packed my things. I went to work to pick up my paycheck. I wasn't feeling well, but figured I'd eventually snap out of it. I was having pain in my back. That was odd. Eventually I tossed my things in the truck, grabbed a large bottle of water, my directions and began the trip to Cincinatti to meet the man that I had befriended online.


It was a really long trip. Over FIVE hours! Ok so five hours is really not THAT long, but to a young lady traveling that far ALONE for the first time... it was L-O-N-G! He informed me that after I passed through Columbus Ohio that I would be over half way. So I stopped just past Columbus to call him from a pay-phone. He was delighted to hear that I was still coming. We made arrangements regarding where exactly to meet. He informed me that when I get into Cincinatti that I would need to cross the big yellow bridge and get off onto Route 8 and meet him at a place called "The Party Source." I hit the road again. It was a warm, sunny, summer day. I had the windows down and my long blonde hair was blowing in the wind.

As I became closer and closer to the city, there were more and more traffic lanes. At one point there were FIVE lanes on either side! YIKES. People were buzzing in and out of traffic. I'm sure my blood pressure was up. I was anything but a city driver. I was relieved to notice the big yellow bridge with the sign reading "Welcome to Kentucky" yet at the same time I was very nervous.


Interestingly, K's dad lives about 2 miles from Route 8... My dad does too, just in another state!

So I pulled into The Party Source and there he was... waiting for me... leaning on his little blue Geo. We hugged. He asked me about how the trip went and introduced me to his best gal-friend Kelly. Moments later I was following him to his Dad's house about a mile and a half away.

Up up up the hill we went. His Dad lived on a hill overlooking the city of Cincinatti. It was a quaint neighborhood. The house was very nice. It had a very neatly groomed front yard, an concrete driveway, a backyard that had a backdrop of trees. The house was emaculately decorated. There was a garage, living room, formal dining room, kitchen, breakfast nook, three bedrooms and a den, two and a half baths, a full basement, and a deck out back. I was shown to the guest room where I would be staying. I got settled in and acquainted with Keith and Kelly.

Keith had plans for us that evening. We were going to see his sister's band's concert that night. I would meet his family and friends. After a full afternoon of chatting, I took a nap as it had been a REALLY long day. When I woke up hours later, it was dark out, but the night was still young. I could hear him outside on the deck talking to some of his friends. He was telling them about me and how cool I was and said something like "wait till you see how pretty she is." Moments later he was knocking on the door, waking me up, and asking me to come meet his friends. Which I did.

Later that evening I met his Mom at the concert. We only caught the very end of the concert. It was an outdoor picnic type thing. We had eaten at a local restaurant... nothing fancy.

That's basically my recollection of my first day in K's presence. There is more... What happens the next day? Hmmm... Let's just say... I was not the most lovable date!
How I Met My Hubby - Part I?

Monday, March 17, 2008

Blessings Monday



We have been blessed with hand-me-down dining tables!!! When we lived in the farm-house, we used the dining room table that was already in the house. A former co-worker of mine handed-down a nice small country-style table, which we used in Kentucky. Unfortunately one of the legs broke shortly after we moved back to Pennsylvania. Another friend of ours handed-down another table with chairs. This was a small round table that would seat 4 people comfortably. This past fall, we were blessed with yet a THIRD table that K's dad brought to us. This is a country style, pine varnished table that has leaves that expand it to seat up to 10 people comfortably. We don't need that big of a table most of the time, but BOY is it nice to have for holidays! I love it!


We have been so blessed with hand-me-down tables. I'm hoping this last one will last a life-time. We still have the small round table and its chairs, so we have plenty of seating for parties and holidays in the future.
Marci over at Amazing Graze Farm hosts this weekly discussion. C'mon over, take a look, and tell us of your blessings!

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Sneak-Peak Sunday


It's Palm Sunday... and as our pastor put it this morning... it was the first time in history that God's people realized with fervance that they were in the presence of the King... HOSANNA!!! BLESSED BE THE LORD!!!

How exciting is that!!!

Some sneak peaks of our weekend:

  • Woke up REALLY early on Saturday. Thought maybe Amanda and I might go to the Strip for some early AM shopping. Soon realized that it probably wasn't the best time to head to the city with the St. Patrick's Day parade in town. Not to mention that Hillary Clinton was in town and that made for a lot of hoopla... UGH. Arg! Needless to say, we decided not to go this weekend.
  • Keith worked Saturday all day and is closing the store tonight. :(
  • I did my usual Saturday planning and shopping. Our pantry is well stocked. I can't wait for the church to announce their need for donations for the college kids. I'm READY!
  • Working on laundry... WOW... so much of it!
  • Watched some tv off and on
  • Cleaned the downstairs bathroom.
  • Cleaned the upstairs bathroom/tub.
  • Went to church (obviously).
  • Dishes need done... Ugh another never ending task
  • Made Cincinatti Chili-Spaghetti for dinner last night. Note to self: Whole Wheat spaghetti is great, but not for Chili-Spaghetti.
  • Made a brunch fritatta today - yummy.
  • Organized my coupon box. I got some sticky tabs at Walmart for a very reasonable price. I've labeled my categories a little better. Now I'm clipping the coupons from today's paper.
  • Gathered the trash from upstairs and put in the can. Tonight's garbage night in our town.

That's about it. Nothing fantastic or exciting going on. Just doing some intermittent cleaning. I see a lot of bloggers are well into "Spring Cleaning" right now. I'd love to be on that wagon, but it's just not happening.

One more thing... A friend of ours is moving. It's a move that is a significant distance. I'd like to put together a package for him. He's a bachelor. He's not moving into or out of our area, so I'm not familar with businesses in his area. Hmmm... cleaning supplies? Home made goodies? Essentials? Snacks? Any ideas on what would be good items to send him?

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Weekly Savings

Not much at Rite Aid this week. I did get 2 bottles of Lysol Kitchen cleaner for $3.50. I've already seen the ad for this coming week and there are a BUNCH of deals and some FREE STUFF with rebates! SAWEET! I'm planning already!

Walmart has Starburst Jelly Beans for $1.66/bag. I had a coupon that brought that down to $1.16/bag. They also had Betty Crocker cake mixes and frostings for $.88 PLUS I had coupons for $.50 off each so I got them for $.38 -- AWESOME. I had another reason to shop there... I was looking for the prize for my blog-give-away... FOUND IT. (To be revealed soon enough) Additionally I found a really cute twin size quilt-type bedspread for $5, so I picked it up for one of our spare beds.

Groceries... I picked up some fresh veggies, milk, creamer, cheese, etc. I had several coupons for yogurt and Steamfresh veggies. I don't usually buy the Steamfresh ones because they are generally 10 oz. packages for the same price as regular 16 oz. package. In this instance, the Steamfresh actually cost me the same price per oz. (with coupons) and the nice part is that I can cook them in the wrapper and the serving size will be perfect for one whole meal. I also picked up a beef roast, some pie crusts (for more quiche), and some soda for K. All in all, with coupons, some of them doubled, I had a savings of over $10 on groceries today.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Coupon Of Wisdom - Friday


"Rejoice in the Lord always." Philippians 4:4


I clipped this coupon yesterday. Now I shall spend some time redeeming it. Somtimes it is the simplest instruction that seems so hard. Rejoicing in the midst of trial or suffering is entirely difficult. When I'm faced with such circumstances I struggle to remind myself that every trial is an opportunity for growth and that the Lord's plan is perfect. Many times I can look back and realize what those lessons were and rejoice in the Lords perfect plan.


On a day to day basis, I struggle with increased stress at work and trying to balance housekeeping and such. I must continue to REJOICE in the Lord during these times. It is difficult to keep this focus, but when I do it is such a blessing! I shall hold these words closely today and be joyful in the Lord.


Sometimes I read over these simple yet profound tidbits of wisdom and fail to embrace them. Just as clipped coupons that are not redeemed are wasteful, so are portions of scripture/biblical teaching when we read them and fail to respond. Thus... I have developed the concept of clipping "Coupons Of Wisdom" to help remind myself to exercise discernment of the wisdom the Lord so freely offers.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Thankful Thursday

Things I am thankful for... especially this week:


  • I am thankful that I have the option to work at home some of the time. Right now it is only about one day per week. It not only provides some much needed focused time for working on files, but it saves me money on travel expenses AND I don't buy my lunch.

  • I am thankful for my friend Rene'e who lets me go to her house/farm and pretend like I belong there even while my horse is 500+ miles away. My heart belongs on the farm and in the country. We live in a rural area, so I am ever so grateful to have a friend who shares her country farm with me.

  • I am thankful for our home. I complain about it a lot. I must remind myself that it is adequate and very affordable at the present time. We look forward to our next home in the near future; however, God has provided for us rather richly right here in this home.

  • I am thankful for my treadmill. It beckons to me to walk on it... or is that the Holy Spirit reminding me that God meets me there and is awaiting our next long conversation... even if I'm huffing and puffing.

  • I am thankful for our car. It is average. It is fuel efficient. It is reliable. It is a great blessing.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Works For Me Wednesday


This is my first post on "Works For Me Wednesday." I haven't had much to add until this past Sunday I realized I actually HAVE somthing to post on this weekly collection of ideas...

I was making bacon. I usually get a plate, put lots of paper towels on it, and let the bacon grease drain onto the paper towels. This week I was thinking... I don't want to dirty a plate and I don't want to waste a lot of paper towels. That's when it hit me... NEWSPAPER!

So I recycled some newspaper in my kitchen. I took some old newspaper, topped it with ONE paper towel (instead of a bunch) and let the bacon drain on that. The paper towel kept it clean and clear of any ink and the grease seeped into the newspaper. I did not dirty a plate. There was no need. I transferred my leaner bacon into my baking dishes (was making quich'e) and disposed of the newspaper/paper towel.
If you have an idea that "works" for you... stop over at Rocks In My Dryer and share with the rest of us.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Blog Anniversary

March 31st I will have been blogging for THREE Years! How is that even possible?! I've been thinking about hosting some sort of give-away... not sure what. Hmmm... COFFEE anyone? Details to follow... suggestions welcome!

Tuesdays With Jen... My Memoirs



How I Met My Hubby - Part 1




Somehow, long long ago, He and I happened upon one another via some sort of joke exchanging online pen pal type thing. We passed jokes back and forth and then he disappeared for a long time. I found out later that he had been deployed.




Fast Forward a couple of years... He found me again and we corresponded a little more regularly. I had lots of online friends by this time and had considered visiting a particular friend in Texas when K guilted me with the "How come you never visited me?" line to which I replied "You haven't invited me." From that stemmed an invite and because he was so far far away (Colorado) the perfect time to meet is when he would be in his home town (Cincinnati) for a family wedding.




As the story goes, he had a rather difficult time keeping dates. Some stood him up, others cancelled at the last minute... you get the idea. But for this occasion he made sure his entire family knew he was SURELY going to bring a date... that would be me.




Now don't be alarmed. I did not just drop everything and drive to Cincinnati. We planned this over about 6 weeks time and during that time I befriended most of his very close friends, some of his very close friends family members, and several members of his family... also via Internet. At this point I figured that if he was lying to me that I would have figured it out because I was in the family/friend loop. Everything checked out.




One night he said he was going to actually CALL me on the telephone, but he didn't. The next night I confronted him about it... and he did. It was very neat to hear his voice for the first time. We talked for HOURS. I can only imagine how high his telephone bill had to have been! I'm only now thinking about that... Well... I must have been worth it. At one point he had talked so long that he needed to take a rest-room break. He asked me to "hold-on" so I did... while he set the phone down and literally ran to the rest room. I know that because I could hear him running down the hall of his barracks.




So then what.... Where did we meet? What events transpired? How did we fall in love? Some of you know this story, but for the sake of recording my memoirs... I shall keep others in suspense for a time... Tune in next Tuesday when I reveal the next chapter of "How I Met My Hubby."

Monday, March 10, 2008

Blessings Monday


Marcie, I hope you don't mind... I'm trying to pick up where I left off with Blessings Mondays!


So I was thinking this evening. My handy-hubby is at work and will be until late. Some days I really hate when he has to close the store every work-night for a week long stretch. That means that I don't get to see much of him.


Don't get me wrong... I love the company of my handy-hubby... BUT... sometimes it is a blessing to have an evening of peace and quiet at home ALONE.


Tonight I made dinner and took it to him. We shared about 20 minutes of chatter over dinner and then it was back to work for him and off to home for me. Though I can think of many things to do with company, I cherish this peaceful evening. I shall rest. I shall relax. I shall spend some time with God.


So this Monday I am especially thankful for my hubby's job... and how it creates some especially quiet time for me occasionally.

Sunday, March 09, 2008

Ultimate Blog Party


In the spirit of mingling among other bloggers at this party... I must take the opportunity to introduce myself.

I am JennyV. My blog is an eclectic collection of my life... with basically no rhyme or reason... most of the time. I don't blog for money or fame. I just like to ramble on for anyone who might listen. Maybe someday I'll find a more elaborate purpose in blogging, but for now... it is what it is.

Some random things about me:



  1. I reside in Western Pennsylvania.

  2. My Handy-hubby is a Coffee Master for Starbucks... we drink LOTS of coffee in our home!

  3. We both work full-time and are putting great efforts into becoming essentially debt-free

  4. I have a pony, but she lives in Kentucky right now

  5. We have two cats

  6. Some days I think maybe I'll start an aquarium... nah... the cats would play with it!

  7. Sometimes I work from home - sometimes I don't

  8. My hubby says I'm a better baker than a cook

  9. I haven't had my hair cut for over a year! WOW!!!

  10. I used to ride horses almost daily... now I just dream about it.
In the next 5 years I'd like to:



  1. Pay off our debts

  2. Purchase a modest home

  3. Adopt a child

  4. Have at least 2 horses

  5. Be a blessing to others

Participants in the Ultimate Blog Party have chances to win awesome prizes! I'd like to have a new blog design... Prize numbers 24, 67, 71, 124 or ANY professional help with my blog design!!!

Sneak-Peak Sunday

I hope all are having a really great weekend. I see that many are buried in the white stuff... S-N-O-W !!! I hear that there was 12 inches in Cincinatti! WOW!!! One time we got stranded there in a snow storm. They don't get much snow, so they are not prepared to handle it. I'll never forget that they SHUT DOWN the major highway between Cincy and Lexington and didn't plow the side streets for a whole 2 days! What was even more annoying is that we had studded tires in our trunk, which are actually illegal down there! Anyway... if you have snow where you are... it won't be much longer. Spring is coming!!!





So on to some snippets of our weekend...


SATURDAY



  • He had to work mid-morning, which was nice because he didn't have to get up at the crack of dawn... but stunk because I had the day mostly to myself and NOBODY wanted to get together

  • I did a TON of laundry

  • I did piles of dishes

  • I moved the printer onto the desk

  • K's friend assessed some masonry work that needs done and said he'd take care of it this week weather permitting.

  • I sorted my coupons, made lists of "deals," and did my weekly shopping... Brrrrr...

  • I made quich'e for dinner - which he liked :)

  • We watched some of "The Office" (we have seasons 1, 2, & 3 on DVD)

  • We went and got K a new phone (much needed and an awesome deal)

  • We spent the evening programing numbers and features on it

SUNDAY

  • We SO should have used the new alarm on the new hip phone because we SLEPT IN!!!! Forgot to set our clocks ahead until it was TOO LATE!!! We missed church! :(
  • We had some quiet time this morning
  • We played with the kitties
  • I made him a tuna noodle casserole
  • I made myself a noodle-salad
  • I'm making brown-sugar ham for dinner
  • We watched some more of "The Office"
  • He's watching the race
  • I'm putsing about on the 'puter and thinking about doing some work - UGH!

Ultimate Blog Party... Is Going On!!!


There are so many good partiers right now!





5 Minutes For Mom is the host! Basically it's a place to network with other bloggers! Sign-up as a party guest... write a post about yourself and link back... then mingle with other party-goers by visiting their blogs! Some have prizes... I'm just getting started, but I recognize some friends already... notably:





Christian Women Online - prizes are awesome! "sponsored by Art Bookbindery, in which you could win a Sony Walkman Video MP3 Player with 4GB Memory! Listen to music, watch movies, and more..."





My pal "Lizzie" is in on it and adds an Austrailian flair!





An Island Life is giving away baby stuff. I am a subscriber of her blogs and won some really cool pink-bling earbuds from her on one of her former give-aways!

The Yolk-less Egg


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Isn't this like the oddest thing you ever saw? These are organic/home-grown eggs. Uncle Charlie keeps us well stocked on eggs from his brood of hens back home. They come in various sizes from tiny to huge and some are brown and some are white. Sometimes there are double yolks too! That's a treat! We like them all and appreciate his generosity in sharing them with us. MANY THANKS!!! We love them!
Last night I made asparagus, mushroom, parmasan quiche for dinner. In preparation, I cracked about 8 eggs. There were 2 TINY ones. Compare sizes in the photo above. Neither had a yolk! Isn't that odd?! How did that happen? According to Wikipedia,

"It is also possible for a young hen to produce an egg with no yolk at all.
Yolkless eggs are usually formed about a bit of tissue that is sloughed off the
ovary or oviduct. This tissue stimulates the secreting glands of the oviduct and
a yolkless egg results."

Interesting... huh.

Saturday, March 08, 2008

What Is For Dinner?


What's cookin at the Vulhop household this week? Here's a preview... in no particular order...



  1. Baked Chicken with rice and veggie

  2. Chicken enchiladas (made w/ leftover chicken)

  3. Breakfast Bake casserole (eggs, sausage, cheese)

  4. Tacos

  5. Brown Sugar Ham with potatoes and veggie

  6. BBQ Pork with mashed potatoes and veggie

Weekly Savings - Grocery

This week I shopped at Giant Eagle. Again, our freezer and pantry are rather full, so I was only looking for really good deals and a few odds and ends.

I found good deals *some with added coupon savings, on butter, cereal, frozen veggies, and maple sausage.

Total saved with store sales and coupons = $17.50

Total weekly budget for groceries = $50

Groceries = $40.04
Rite Aid = $13.52
Total spent $53.52

Weekly Deals - Rite Aid

I'm so loving this new hobby of mine. I'm quite the stock-piler these days!

Rite-Aid Deals

Gillette Mach 3 Disposable razors (for handy-hubby)
$6 - $3 coupon - $3 rebate = $0

Venus Embrace razor (for me)
$10 - $4 coupon - $6 rebate = $0

Glade carpet deodorizer (I had enough coupons to get 2)
$1.49 - $.50 coupon - $1 coupon = $0

Neutra Air spray deodorizer
$2.49 - $.50 coupon - BOGO coupon = 2 for $1.99

Scrubbing Bubbles
$1.99 - $.50 coupon - $.75 coupon = $.74

Sunday, March 02, 2008

Date Night

We saw "Definitely, Maybe." A chick-flick. Hubby suggested it. Wonder what his angle was? Hmmm... Regardless, it was okay. Nothing fantastic. It was kind of cute. The dad and the daughter had a very significant relationship. He tells her the story of how he met her mother... and a few other ladies along the way. It has a happy ending, but the premise of the entire film really doesn't fit in my my own significant family values and moral opinions especially relating to marriage. Oh did you know that a large popcorn and 2 gigantic medium drinks at the theatre is almost $20??? Highway robbery!!! I won't make that mistake again!

BUT... spending the evening holding hands with my man and the chit-chat to and from... was priceless!

This Weeks Menu


Menu Ideas for this week include the following... in no particular order:



  1. Quiche with Asparagus
  2. Chili with cheese and corn bread

  3. Chicken casserole with broccoli (maybe in a braid?)

  4. Grilled Cheese with Tomato Soup

  5. Breakfast night - pancakes

  6. Roast BBQ pork with mashed potatoes and vegetable


There is one night he is working and I have my quarterly evening meetings at work so there will be no dinner prepared.


Sneak-Peak Sunday

Hope ya'll had a very nice weekend. Ours was very good. Here is a sneak-peak...

SATURDAY
  • Up early and into Butler for my Girls Group - was a fabulous time! Love my lady-friends! I'm so blessed by them.
  • Shopped at Target in Butler. Disappointed again. They had the bed-spread I wanted, but only in a King Size and I need a Queen. Finally succumbed to the idea that I am not meant to have said bedding.
  • Found some new really cheap and rather elegant place mats. That made my day and hubby approved commenting that they really accentuate our dining room decor.
  • Re-organized my coupon box, purged expired coupons, planned sales shopping for the weekend.
  • Shopped deals at Rite-aid as per previous post.
  • Established next weeks menu plan & calendar notes
  • Washed dishes... and there are still more!
  • Made BBQ pork ribs in the crock-pot for dinner. Got the thumbs up from Handy-hubby. Yumm-O! I love my crock-pot!
  • Went on a date with Handy-Hubby. Saw a movie.
  • Fell fast-asleep in the arms of my man...

SUNDAY

  • Went to church. Was a lovely worship service. I adored the hymns we sang this morning as they were tunes which I was well familiar with.
  • Picked up this weeks Giant Eagle gift-card for grocery budget. Our church purchases grocery gift-cards in bulk and in advance. The stores sell them for 10% less than the value so the church can use them as a fund-raiser. Then I purchase it for face-value and use them to do my shopping. Costs me the same amount, helps me keep within my established budget, and helps the church in return! Each week I purchase a $50 gift-card for Giant Eagle and the church gets $5 of that! It's an awesome plan! Although the church has to purchase like $10,000 at one time to do this, but it is so worth it. It supports our building fund. AND... we can also use the gift-cards to purchase other gift-cards at Giant Eagle if we choose.
  • Picked up this weeks groceries. Took Handy-hubby with me. I really should have learned the last time that he doesn't help the budget. He is like shopping with a child... "can I get this?... that?" UGH! But I love when we go together. Also - I don't usually shop on Sunday. It's a mad-house and I have other more important aspirations for our day of rest. In the future... I shall wait and shop on a week-night.
  • Picked up this weeks newspaper with coupons. I don't read the paper. I just get it for the coupons.
  • Hubby watched some of the Nascar race while I clipped those coupons and organized them.
  • Took a 90 minute nap. Shared it with the kitty.... Crystal. It was quite refreshing.
  • Washed some clothes. Folded some clothes. Washed some more!
  • Exercised
  • Tinkered with some work-related things
  • Blogged

Saturday, March 01, 2008

Groceries Next???

It's just too busy to shop at the grocery on Saturday. PLUS - I like to buy grocery gift-cards at church because it helps the church and spends the same for me!

I check the ads for both local supermarkets, Giant Eagle and Shop N Save. I don't really care for SNS and find that sometimes their selection is lacking variety. I purused the ads and decided that this week I will only shop at GE. I have plenty of meat in the freezer, so I will just be grabbing some fresh produce, bread, milk, and a few good sale items.

Lipton Rice & Noodle packs, Betty Crocker Potatoes & Helpers are all $1.00 each. Those toaster strudels that everyone LOVES are $2 each. I have COUPONS for these items that will likely be doubled! ALL detergent is $4 each and if you buy $15 total on certain items in the flyer, you get a $5 credit towards your next purchase.

Ok - that's all I've got on deals this week! Have a great week!!!

Average $10 - $15 Per Week

I visit Rite Aid almost every week. My average expense is about $10 - $15 out of pocket. I use sales and coupons to get the best deals. Here is what I got this week with regular price noted:

2 tubes of Colgate Total Toothpaste $2.99 each
8 bars of Zest soap $5.99
1 bottle of Olay body wash $5.29
3 packs of gum $1.19 each

Total that: $20.83

How much did I pay? A whopping $7.09!!!! If you average it per item, it adds up to about 50 cents per item! HA!!!

He he he... coupons + sales + I had a $5 gift certificate that I earned a month or so ago. Wha-hoo!!!

Okay... My handy-hubby is going to crack if I buy any more soap or toothpaste! We currently have 6 tubes of toothpaste + 2 tubes that are in use AND almost 20 bars of soap in our cupboard! I can't help it. When those things are SO CHEAP, I must stock-pile. Besides... as my sister Wendy mentioned, these will be handy when the church sends their college & military shoeboxes. So it's all good.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Annoyed


I saw the above bed-in-a-bag ensemble advertised at Target for only $55. Everyone who knows me, knows that I am too cheap to spend a lot of money on such things, but $55 is actually a REALLY good price for all that comes with this. AND... I have a special fund where I have saved a few dollars to splurge on something just like this!

I am annoyed because I have stopped at Target TWICE and they don't even have this line of "Classic" comforter sets, much less the exact one pictured. So I thought I'd order it online... NOPE... SOLD OUT! UGH!!!!

If you have ever caught a glimpse of our master bedroom... you would understand why we NEED this. It's not the haven that it should be. We are piecing it together, but this is a long drawn out process.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

A Whirlwind Of A Week

The Valentines were here to visit this past week. It was a grand time with plenty of smiles and maybe some mixed attitudes and temper tantrums, but just the same full of hugs and special comments and moments to remember. So here are some highlights from my perspective...

Essie: "Aunt J.J. I wish I could stay here and live by you."

Me: "But what about your Grandma and Grandpa Valentine and your Aunt Chris and Uncle Cliff? Wouldn't you miss them?"

Essie: "Um, I could call them sometimes."

TOO SWEET!

  • I had a farm-night with Essie. She cleaned the stalls, held the kitties, pet the doggy, brushed the horses, and rode the mule!
  • I had a date with Isaac. We went to Ichiban for lunch and then spent a couple of hours bowling and playing video games. He's quite the gentleman... holding the doors for me and being so thankful for some special time with his Aunt.
  • Gaylie greeted me bright and early each morning. She's so very sweet.
  • Elijah is his Mother's boy. I held him a little, but look forward to days ahead when he will be more outgoing and wanting to go on a date with his Aunt J.J.
  • The girl-cousins had a little sleep over at our house on Friday night while the boy-cousins did the same at their Grandparents home.
  • The girls watched Barbie, ate popcorn, baked and decorated cookies, painted their nails and toenails and primped for a night on the town... (the retirement dinner)
  • Uncle Keith complained about the level of estrogen in our home commenting that he could feel his bra size increasing. HA!
  • Mom & Dad had the family all together for a special retirement dinner on Saturday. It was delightful. We took pictures afterwards, but Dad had already escaped to the car, so he missed out on that part.

The family has departed and is likely home by now or at least all most. It was a delightful visit. So-long until summer Valentines...

Too Cute To Not Share



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Gaylie is one beautiful ham!

Grandkids

David, Joyce, Mom, & Esther

Mom & Annabelle

Mom & Elijah

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Lady Admirer

Gayle

Esther

Joyce
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I caught Gaylie admiring herself in the mirror and immediately it turned into a photo-session!

Fancy Hair-do's



Aunt Mandy bought each of the ladies a special flower barret with feathers to match their dresses.
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Girls Only Slumber Party



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Joyce



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Gayle


Enjoying Oram's Donuts...
Thanks Aunt Mandy & Uncle John!

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Esther



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