New Bikes

Dan has been really getting into bicycling when he is home. Last year he bought an inexpensive road bike, but was having a hard time keeping up with his friend Gordon on their 30-50 mile bike rides. So he ordered a new bike, and was like a little kid on Christmas waiting for the package to arrive. (He was as happy to see the UPS guy as I am when I get Scentsy packages!).
Nate had outgrown his bike and we were lucky that Dan's cousins were getting rid of their old mountain bikes. They offered one to us for Nate, and we didn't pass it up! Nate loves his new bike, and jumps on it when he gets home from school. And it's red, Nate's favorite color!
Now if we can only get Lily to ride without training wheels, we could do longer family bike rides!

Basket Party

I have my Scentsy basket ready to go out for a Basket Party. What is a Basket Party you ask? It's a cute basket full of testers of all of the wonderful Scentsy scents. When you take the basket, the idea is to take it with you and have everyone smell all the scents that are available. You collect orders, and when the week is done, you get the hostess benefits of a party. This is a fun and easy way to earn free Scentsy products! Want to know more about Scentsy and the products? Click on the link on the side of the blog and it will take you to my personal website. Want to have a Basket Party? Also click on the link, and find my contact information. Thanks!

Water Leak

So last week Dan found a puddle in the back yard. He dug down and found a leak in the water line. Problem is, he had no idea where this water line was going. He called the city and had someone come out to look. They told him they had no idea where the water lines go, and that the one with the leak is left over from when our water used to go back to the neighbors house. So Dan needed to dig up the water line and find where it took a Y, so he could cap it off. He started at the street, and started digging. Now common sense would tell you that the water line would make a straight path from the street to the house, right? Wrong! The line did little zig zag pattern to the house. He had to dig a huge trench all the way through the yard, making a big mess. He finally found the Y, it was 6 feet from the leak. After a trip to the hardware store and $1.25 later, the problem was fixed. But then he had to fill in the big trench. We have been wanting to reseed our yard, but we sit on essentially a gravel pit. Now, we really don't have a choice, we will have to redo the whole yard. This will include the removal of many rocks. I'm thinking we may have enough for a rock wall along the driveway. I have to say I am thankful for a cheap fix, and now maybe our water bill will go down. Of course, only after we are done watering the new yard we have to seed.

New Camera

I just love this picture from my new camera!

Being that my sister is a fabulous photographer (check out her website by clicking on her link), I have a high expectation for my photos. I know I am not nearly as talented as her, but I do want nice pictures. I had a great Kodak camera that I loved. It took beautiful pictures, and I loved the brillant colors. Last May, while camping, I dropped and broke my favorite camera. Dan searched high and low for a new one for me, and found a similar one that was referbished. It works ok, but nothing compared to my broken one. So I have been on a search for a new camera for months. I started researching by price, functions, mega pixels, and everything else. I really liked Costco's return policy of 90 days. I wanted to be absolutely happy with the camera. Everyone and everything led me to a Panasonic camera. I lucked out that the camera was on sale on my birthday and Dan gave me the go ahead to buy it for my birthday present. I really wanted to like the camera. It was user friendly, and a great small size. I played with it for a month, and even developed pictures to get a good idea of picture quality. I just couldn't get over the colors.They seemed blue/gray to me. I am so used to the brilliant colors of Kodak's that I was never happy.

So, because of Costco's return policy, I was able to return the camera. The guy at the return counter was shocked. He had the same opinion as everyone else, that it was a perfect camera. He told me I would be disappointed in any other camera, and to come back next time and make sure to find him so he could say I told you so.

I tried explaining to him how it was the colors I didn't like, and he agreed that Kodak cameras have different colors, but he thought I was crazy.
Just my luck (again) Costco.com had a new Kodak on sale last week. Same features, same everything, just a Kodak. I bought the camera and it arrived on Friday. I am in love! The colors are great, it's easy to use, and I am so happy I stuck to my guns and held out for a camera that I would be completely happy with.

I really want to go back to the guy at Costco and tell him I told you so!!! I won't though. I will smile every time I get photo's developed at Costco, knowing I was right and he was wrong.

Disclaimer:
This is just my personal preference of cameras. I LOVE Costco and their return policies. While I may run into some opinionated people there once in awhile, I will continue to shop there.

Dan the Man!

My hubby Dan is amazing. He is a great handy man, who can fix most things. He can drive a tractor and pull a trailer. He knows how to fix electrical things and computer problems. On top of that, he has a feminine side that makes flower arrangements! Lately he's been called Dan the Scentsy man, making deliveries and taking calls for me.

So today he found a water leak. (Because things always break when your tax return is coming!). After some digging, he found that the water line is a random old line, and is not connected to the house. Right now he is digging up our yard, trying to find where the line goes, so he can cap it off. (My new camera showed up today, so pictures will come later!). I am very thankful for my handy hubby!

Nate's New Glasses

Poor Nate got his eye sight from me. He went in for his yearly eye appointment, and his prescription almost doubled. We were going to change just his lenses, and not the frames, but he had outgrown his frames. The kids is really just growing up too fast! Here's Nate the Great with his new glasses!

Busy!

Sorry I haven't been blogging much. We have been really busy around here. My Scentsy booth at the Home and Garden Show went well. We had a lot of fun, and meet a ton of people. We laughed at some of the things people said to us. My favorite was when a husband tried to bribe me NOT to talk to his wife. She walked right into the booth, then proceeded to ask him for his wallet to buy some Scentsy. We talked to an 80 year old lady who said she had heard of Scentsy on Facebook. That one cracked me up! Or the man who said his wife needed Scentsy so that she wouldn't burn the house down. This weekend I will be at the Skagit Valley Home Show on Friday and Sunday. If you live in that area, stop by and say hi to me at the Scentsy booth!

The kids came home with report cards yesterday. They both are doing great and even improved some. We are very proud of them and what great students they are.

Another update is that I am scheduled for surgery on my left ear next month. They want to do one ear at a time, and the surgeon chose my left ear. I am fine with that, it's the ear that I put the phone to! Please pray that the surgery goes well and that my hearing will be completely restored. They will do surgery on my right ear sometime in May.

I'll try to be better about updates. Hope you all have a great week!

How much does Law School cost?

I'm convinced that Lily is going to be a lawyer. She is obsessed with controlling everything. She is attentive to details, and has every date and time on the calender memorized. She has been planning her birthday party for months. I talked to a mother of one of her classmates, who asked when Lily's party was, because she has been inviting friends for months now. I explained Lily's OCD about her birthday and told the mom that invites will be sent out. I was told by Lily's teacher that Lily watches the clock all day and keeps her on schedule. Lily likes to plan her wardrobe out days in advance. And she thinks it through. Tomorrow she is student of the day. She wants to wear a dress, but knows she has PE, so she needs to wear her tennis shoes. (I wouldn't put it past her to wear both).
It makes me happy that she is so smart and willing to learn. She is not very athletic, or graceful, so her brains will have to make up for it. So, how much does law school cost? I think I better start saving now!

Why you should always call ahead.....

I'm constantly doing Scentsy deliveries. Most of the time, if it's a friend or family, I stop by and hope to catch them at home. The other day I had a delivery to a friend, and was in her neck of the woods, and just stopped by to drop off her order. Her van was in the driveway, the TV was on and I figured she was home. I knocked on the door and her 6 year old opened it. I expected to see his Mom pop her head around the corner, but instead, I got a bit of a surprise. I guess the 6 year old said, "Mommy's home!" when he opened the door, prompting the Dad of the house to peek out from the bathroom door....... naked. Granted, I did not see anything improper, but I did get enough to know he was completely naked behind that door. I quickly handed off the Scentsy, and ran for the car. Then I almost put my car it the ditch on the way home because I was laughing so hard. Of course I then had to call my friend, who had just gotten off the phone with her very embarrassed hubby. She had the giggles, I had the giggles, and when she got home, she had a very long chat with her 6 year old about not opening the door. So next time, I will call ahead......and make sure everyone is fully clothed!

Whatcom County Home and Garden Show

I just got home from setting up the Scentsy booth at the Whatcom County Home and Garden Show. It's at the Northwest Washington Fairgrounds in Lynden. We have a great selection of Scentsy warmers on display, and a huge selection of clearance bars. I'll have samples to hand out, and our new Spring/Summer catalogs. You can smell the new scents, and get great deals on your old favorites. I hope to see you there!

Tasty Tuesdays!

Yikes, I almost forgot about Tasty Tuesdays! Here's a new recipe that I tried tonight. I love a good skillet meal that only takes one dish! I don't know if I was really hungry, or if this turned out really good. Either way, I ate a whole bowl of it. This one comes from Taste of Home's Healthy Cooking Magazine. I changed a few things (because I always do!), so here is the way I made it. Enjoy!

Chicken Orzo Skillet

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
2 tsp Mrs. Dash
1 small onion, diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
2 cups fresh baby spinach
1 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup uncooked orzo pasta
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 cup shredded Italian blend cheese

Sprinkle chicken with Mrs. Dash, add to large skillet with olive oil and onion. Brown chicken, until no longer pink, add garlic, cook 1 minute longer. Add remaining ingredients (except cheese), cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes until orzo is tender. Sprinkle with cheese.

Dear Tagalongs

Dear Tagalongs,

Once a year you come into my life. I feel like I am doing a service to my community by supporting the Girl Scouts, and buying a box or two of you. But why must you taunt me? Why do you call my name from the cupboard until I can't ignore you anymore? Why can I not eat just one cookie at a time? Why are you so addicting? Why do I feel so guilty after finishing a whole box? Really, I just supported a good cause, right? While you have been a dear friend, I am glad you will be gone soon. See you next year.

Holly