Tell Me What You Think....

Last night, I was working furiously to get dinner ready for my starving family, when Jake comes in and sits down on the counter. He tells me he has been talking to his friends who are missionary type people in the Dominican Republic. Last year they had sent him an email saying their organization was hiring (houseparents maybe?). He had asked me about it then and I said, "There is no way you can quit your current job." Well, we don't have to worry about that now do we? Yesterday they mentioned, again, something about employment with them. We don't know anything about the organization yet but it looks like they do get to come home twice a year for about 3-4 weeks at a time (nice vacation, eh?). So, you would get to see us still.

I am not going to share my opinion at this time but I want to know your HONEST opinion. Please don't hold back. And don't be shy.

Thursday Thirteen....Famous People I Have Known - complete with details.

I have know some very interesting people in my life. Here are a few that you might know!

1. Steve Byrne - He inspired this post. I saw an ad for this Comedy Central Special and his picture was on it. I had heard the name before but didn't realize it was the Steve that I once knew. Crazy. I worked with him at East Side Mario's - in fact, I trained him. He lived close by and we hung out a couple of times. He probably doesn't remember me. At least I hope he doesn't - I'd hate to end up as one of his "jokes".

2. Chad Szeliga - He is the drummer for Breaking Benjamin. He is super duper famous. He used to be a pretty good friend. I haven't talked to him since I lived in Peninsula. He came down to one of our HUGE parties we used to have. He also came to Kent to visit. I was going to post some pics of him but seriously - he was a twirpy little kid back then and none of the pics are very flattering. He was in a band called Israphel's Revenge (then later known as Sworn II Silence) back in the day. I was a groupy. Sad, I know.

3. Matt McDermott - He was an old friend. Let me tell you...if he ever hits it big - the goofy pictures I have of him are unlimited. We ran into his sister while Christmas shopping and she said he is still in L.A. doing his thing. I actually dated him for a little while but we ended up being friends for years after - dating never really worked for us....too weird. He did date a bunch of my friends - maybe even my sister??? I can't recall. The last time I saw him in person was the same weekend I went on my first date with Jake.

4. Phil Kester - He is a jazz drummer. I don't know how famous he is but I've heard he is "known". He and I took a death and dying class together. It was an odd class and I ended up being friends with several people from that class for years. Hey, rumor has it #1 and Phil dated the same girl in college (at different times).

5. Nate Torrence - Okay, I never met him but Jake knows him and sometimes they still email. He was invited to our wedding but didn't come. I have been to his brother's house....oh and his mom's.

6. Amanda - I have her linked on my page (if any of you have ever noticed). She probably wouldn't think she is famous but she is an artist in the Chicago area. We also met in death and dying class and ended up renting the Peninsula house (with Tiffany) for a couple of years. I always wanted to be as cool as her. She is very cool.

7. Jen F. - My loyal readers know her but you may not know she is a famous writer. She writes for a veterinary magazine. She just won some big awards...Congrats Jen!

8. Stephanie - She is the author of Stop the Ride. She is my sister-in-law. She's famous, right?

9. Kip Winger - The lead singer of Winger. I went to Borders one time and he was doing a little solo, acoustic thing. I bought him a bran muffin. I think I told you that before (but I am starting to run out of famous people). I did get several pictures with him but I look just AWFUL so you don't get to see them.

10. Duane - Is he famous? I don't know. Are you sensing a musician theme? LOL. Well he used to be a good friend for a long time. He was in the band with Szeliga. The last time I saw him was at my wedding. We chat every now and then.

11. Goodnight Wednesday - They are going to be famous.

12. Drew Carey - Okay, I never knew him but I was in the same bar as him once. Seriously stretching here.

13. This post has taken sooooo long and I can't think of anyone else. Sorry to rip you off. LOL.

Thursday Thirteen

Shopping Hobby....

I know, how can I have a shopping hobby while my husband is out of work. Well, a friend recently described me as being able to spend the same dollar three times. I said...only three? Last night after dinner we went to Super Walmart. We don't go there often but I was doing a little "research" on Hot Coupon World and found there were some super deals there. So...we loaded the kids up and off we went. Whew...did I ever get the deals. The time I spent on that website definitely pays off. Here is a photo of what I got......



Guess how much I paid for it? Well, I will tell you this - I paid full price for the Borax & the Dora stickers (I told Elise I would start giving her a sticker when she goes on the potty...she is still doing really well.) Did you come up with a total??? Well, I am not going to make you wait. I paid $12.71. I was a little upset that is was so high! The cashier looked at the total and said..."Wait, is that right?". I just smiled (not smug at all). The original price was close to $40. Wow.

I also went to Giant Eagle yesterday for some of their deals. I got 5 - 1 lb bags of cat food and a free bag of cat treats. I also got a kid's shampoo for free. Then I got some super deals like a 20 fresh turkey for less than $12.

I haven't been going to CVS that much. I have a few extra bucks saved up but I didn't really like the deals they had this week. I need to look again. On April 1st I get my 6% (triple rewards) from my winter spending in extra bucks. Hopefully they have some good deals so I can just keep rolling them. I need to be strict about only buying things that earn extra bucks....although I do think CVS has good sales.

Easter Review....

Maybe this is going to be my new Monday thing....Here are some photos I took last week. It went by so fast but we really did a lot. Of course these are only the pics of the kid stuff. Jake and I working on resumes or working and reworking our budget isn't that interesting. Important but not blog worthy. LOL.

We went to the library and made sock puppets.

Avery started crawling. She loves tags. They make products that have extra tags but she only likes the real ones. How does she know???? She is so smart already.

We made Easter cookies. I let the kids use decorative icing I bought on clearance after Christmas, hence the green and red easter eggs. BTW...that gel icing is just gross.

We decorated Easter eggs.

We hunted Easter eggs. Like Elise's pj's?

We got all gussied up and went to Church on Sunday. BTW...Indy & Elise both wore that dress on Easter when they were babies!

Elise let me curl her hair. When we were getting ready to leave Jake was calling her name and she was ignoring him. Then she informed him she was "Princess" not Elise.

Just cheesy...

That doesn't look comfortable.

Okay, this is real. We saw this while driving home from Church. We turned around so I could take a picture of it for my blog. Only in Ohio......

Hope everyone had a great Easter!!!!

Out with the old....Bring in the new.

That seems to be the theme around here. For the last two weeks I keep saying "I really need to get back on schedule." Today I accepted the fact that there is going to have to be a "new" schedule. Everything is different with Jake being home. Last week just flew by. We spent the better part of most days working on resumes and applying for jobs. We have some pretty good prospects. I am feeling positive about it. I did have one of those "I am feeling sorry for myself" days. I got over it.

Another big change this week is the kids. I feel like we are always in some sort of transition with clothing around here. Someone growing out of a size or the seasons changing...add to it transitioning from normal to maternity wear and then back again last year. It seems like just when I get one kid situated another one is growing into the next size. So, it is really odd that right now all three kids are moving up to the next size. So we have a lot of sorting through to do next week. I get so sad when they keep growing so fast. Plus as you know all this growing usually comes with the "growth spurt eating". I can't seem to keep Jude full these days. He eats so much. I can't imagine what it will be like when he is a teen.

Winter is finally over. Yesterday was the first day of Spring. I am so happy of the prospect of warm weather. Too bad it snowed like 5 inches last night. Since it was the first day of spring yesterday we did go to Rita's and we all got a free Italian ice. It is a promotion they have every year.

We have been working hard on the potty training with Elise. Nothing has really worked with her. So, last week I told her she couldn't go to Pottery class if she didn't start using big girl underwear. She didn't care....until the class came around and I didn't take her. She didn't cry or anything but suddenly she has been wearing underwear with minimal accidents. She even wore them to Rita's and Walmart last night without incident.

One last thing. Jake is growing a goatee. It looks cute.

Employment...

Here are 13 places I may try to get a job or ways I think I can make money. In the mean time, I need to get back on the treadmill!

1. Starbucks - I already have my application!
2. Akron Children's Hospital
3. Sell stuff online. There are people that make a good living doing that! I may give it a try.
4. Cleaning houses...Anyone have a house they need cleaned?
5. Deal or No Deal - I am making my 5 minute video this week!
6. I could always be a waitress! I am thinking some fancy shmancy place.
7. Kent State, University of Akron, Marshall, UT....I'd like to work at any college.
8. Dig through dirt piles for scrap metal......Don't ask. It is an option.
9. I could go back to the Troubled Teen business.
10. Sew stuff and sell it. Well, that was already in the plan.
11. Sell crashed pots. I could take my many MANY mess ups and make them into funky art.
12. Go back to selling insurance. Progressive???
13. Freelance writing. I've always wanted to do that.

Thursday Thirteen.

Last Week...It was a busy one!

Elise has been dressing herself. She comes up with some interesting combinations.

Heather came over to visit on Wednesday (for moral support). We decided to go sledding. The older kids had a lot of fun but the little ones weren't so thrilled!

They didn't even need sleds...

We were given a family pack of tickets to Breakfast with the Easter Bunny at the zoo. It was a good time. Later this week I will scan the photos that were taken and post them (maybe a wordless wednesday?) We had to follow the Easter bunny to the egg hunt. Jude took off without us and started holding the Easter bunny's hand. After he did it the other kids did it too. Hmmmm....I always thought he was shy.

Jude is playing soccer. It is cute. He likes to be the goalie because he gets to touch the ball with his hands! As you can see, Elise isn't so thrilled with Jude's soccer game.

Have you ever heard of directbuy? Just wondering.

A Lesson in Humility....

Isn't life messy??? When I started this blog my plan was to write about my life. I knew I had some funny stories from the past and I really didn't care who read them. Over the years - yes it has been years lots of "stuff" has happened, as does in life. I choose to share some with you and other junk I've just kept to myself. Along the way I have learned a lesson or two - sometimes the hard way. Overall I think I've grown through it all. Either way, some things I just have to tell you because there are events that change things from here on out. That is what I am telling you about today.

Jake lost his job last Tuesday.

I sit here and look at that sentence and try to figure out what to say after it. What can I say? It was a shock. We weren't expecting it at all. We had not planned for an occasion like this. After dealing with the devastating shock of it all we have rode a roller coaster of emotions. We have analyzed it forward and backward. It hasn't changed a thing. Phooey. Last night Jake said, "This has been the longest two weeks of my life....It is just going in slow motion." I looked at him - he was serious! But it has only been ONE WEEK! That pretty much sums it up.

So are you wondering what we are going to do? So are we. We are working fast and furiously to sort through the options. Thank GOD we haven't bought a house. It frees us up to go wherever the wind shall blow us! We are confident that it is going to be okay. We are trying not to make any rash decisions. I just keep hearing "be still". I know there is something for us. In church on Sunday, Ken was talking about how God doesn't have a plan B. He only has a plan A. That's it. He gave some verses to go with it but I can't seem to find where I wrote them down. We know God has some plan - we just don't know what.

I am happy to say we have options. We are assuming Jake will be receiving unemployment benefits. He is going to look for a good job. In the mean time he may take some classes to help his earning potential. The plan is for me to get a job to cover the "gap". I think of it as a new Miller Adventure. I already have some ideas. We are sending out resumes this week. They are going out in Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee. I'll be honest with you, my preference is to stay in Ohio. That doesn't mean I won't move. But this is our home.

To top it all off - I spoke with my landlord yesterday. She has had the worst year EVER! She was told by her lawyer on Friday that she has to sell this house. Yikes. Once again....I know it is part of some plan. And it all seems to be falling into place whether I like it or not. For now, she needs us here and we need to stay her until we figure out what is happening.

I will keep you posted....if nothing else this should give me some good blogging material!!!! And maybe we can really use that New York Moving Company I have to write about.

Thursday Thirteen...Things I Do Everyday

Here is a list of things I do just about every single day...besides talk about air cleaners!!!
1. Laundry - I tried to have just one laundry day during the week but with the addition of another baby it has become almost impossible.

2. Sing - I am not a good singer. I sing off key. Luckily my kids don't mind. We sing a lot.

3. Talk to Sherry on the phone. Almost everyday. It is just part of my routine.

4. Check my email. I have a little computer routine. I check my regular email, then my junk email, then blogs. I need to get in the habit of returning emails. It takes me a while.

5. Pray. Some days more than others... Sometimes it comes out in the form of "oh dear God please help me!!!" Other times it is more appropriate.

6. Cook. I think that is pretty standard. I rarely cook breakfast. I hate having dishes piling up in the morning so we eat a lot of cereal. Dinner is the big meal around here.

7. Check the mail. The mail comes pretty early here. If the kids see the mailman they always tell me - "Mommy, the mail is here....what did we get???" We signed up for a free trial of Netflix last year. I canceled it after the trial month was over. Jude still asks (almost daily) "did we get a movie?"

8. Watch T.V. I'd like to just get rid of it but I haven't made that step. Then I'd have to give up American Idol. LOL. It is so good this year.

9. Walk up and down the stairs a zillion times. We have a two story house and a basement. I am always running up and down the stairs. My legs get a good workout.

10. Weigh myself. I've heard you should only weigh yourself once a week but I can't stop myself. I've lost 13 pounds. It makes me mad when I don't anything bad the day before and I don't loose anything. GRRRRR..... But when I eat two hand fulls of M&M's the night before and my weight stays the same I just smile.

11. Drink coffee. Usually only half caff but today I am on the full octane stuff. I feel a little shaky.

12. Change diapers. I can't wait until that is no longer a chore. I've been changing diapers for 5 and 1/2 years. I have a while to go.

13. Tell my kids and husband that I love them. Even when I am completely aggravated with them. I still love them. Jude is cute - he just randomly tells me he loves me. It is sweet.

Thursday 13

Happy Birthday To You....(A Day Late!!!)

I tried to get these pictures up yesterday but I had a serious problem loading those snow pics. In fact I couldn't get anything to work. So here you go today.

Happy Birthday Dad...aka...Poppy!








wordless wednesday

What do you do during a BLIZZARD????

We had a blizzard here this weekend. We got something like 18 inches of snow here. Just a couple of towns over they got two feet! That is just crazy. We couldn't go anywhere (I don't think our minivan would make it). So we stayed home. Here is what we did...

• You get caught up. Jake did a great job helping to get caught up. We did dishes, laundry, vacuumed, organized and Jake even cleaned the basement. Man, it really needed it. The weather didn't bother me at all. I kinda liked it. If it is going to snow....it might as well be meaningful.
  
• You have a picnic. Jude has been begging to have a picnic for a while now. So we did. We had it in the living room. It was a simple cheese/trail bologna lunch but they didn't care. They loved it!
  
  
  
  
• You play outside. I didn't go outside much so I didn't even take any bundled up pictures of Elise but I did catch a few shots of Jude and the snow. Jake spent a lot of time shoveling. Finally I asked the neighbor if he could borrow the snow blower because it was a lot of snow and a lot of driveway. It looks great now - better than some roads! Jude likes to play under the outdoor furniture!
  
  
• You exercise!!! Jake was pretty sore from the shoveling and workout video.