Old Glory

Happy Birthay USA!

So.Thankful.

Its been so hot and dry lately...

...that cacti have uprooted themselves in various place on our property...

...and David is refusing to wear socks and shoes, and drinking water out of a 64 oz. jug...and so I'm very thankful we had rain today. Also, as much of a pain as the old well was, I am really enjoying having our new one. We don't have to pay attention to any watering bans! Of course we shelled out big bucks to get a well, but it is so worth not having a water bill. Case in point: a few nights ago Jason accidentally left the sprinkler on all night long (he fell asleep on the couch). Guess what? We still had plenty of water in the morning-Praise God! In other news...my parents came over on Saturday and my dad took our dryer apart and after a few tests, his best guess was that the thermal fuse had blown (which meant the high limit thermostat and the cycling thermostat should be replaced as well). The parts could only be found at a specialty appliance store, so it had to wait until today. In the meantime, my mom took home 3 loads of laundry and did them on Sunday. Thanks mom! This morning my dad went to the appliance store bought the parts, and then drove out here (our clean laundry in tow). It took $50 and an a hour an a half worth of work, but its fixed! Whoohoo! Thank you dad!

Can You Tell He Likes Ice Cream?

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

*The see-inside numbers puzzle

Nickled and Dimed To Death

I have always been proud of the fact that I am cheap. I won't pay full price for much of anything and it takes me a really long time to agree to big purchases. This time I might have gone too far though... About two weeks ago our dryer quit working. Jason tried a few things that didn't work, and then I suggested we talk to my dad about it since he is really great at fixing anything and everything. He immediately e-mailed me Maytag's dryer troubleshooting info. We tried their suggestions but to no avail. He agreed he would come out and take a look at it, but wouldn't be able to get here until he and my mom got back from vacation (they come back this Thursday). In the meantime, Jason went ahead and picked out a potential new one at Lowe's in the event my dad can't fix it. It costs $300. In my world that is a lot of money we could save if it is something that can be fixed...anyway most of you know that Pat, my mother in law is so gracious to come babysit David for a few hours one day a week so I can go to doctors appointments and run a few errands kid free. The past two weeks I've spent my "time off" here...

...at the coin laundry. Last week I went to a pretty nice one, but this week my errands took me in a different direction, and I sat here for 2 hours with no air conditioning and I must admit I felt a little unsafe. Then, after David went to bed I decided I would roll the coins Jason has been emptying from his pockets hoping it might add up close to $300. Once I finished I realized it will only cover 1/3 of the cost (he has a lot of pennies...I ran out of penny rolls). As I reflect on my day now I am thinking to myself...is saving money worth compromising my safety...and really how much did I save by not using Coinstar???

For The Love Of Dog*

I thought Prince Charles aka Charlie Dawg deserves some blog time. He is the reason I drive across town to get allergy shots, which I don't believe are working. Lately I have been downing Benadryl and Claritin D like its candy. I have a hard time sleeping because despite taking said shots and medication and wearing breathe right strips I still cannot breathe...not to mention all the money I'm spending on above remedies...what I won't do for the love of dog!

*Thanks Laura Jane for the title of this post ; )

Ball Pro

Thought I'd share these pictures of David and I over the weekend. There are hardly any good pictures of us together (I'm usually behind the camera) so I really appreciate Jason working hard to get a few good ones. I've got one confused little boy on my hands. David plays golf with his wiffle ball set, and calls golf "b ball" while using the club as a bat! At least he has good hand eye coordination...just keep your eye on the ball son...

New Blogger

I've recruited another one! Be sure to visit my friend Caron at "Blessed with Richs". Caron was a good friend of mine in high school and we even went to college together for a year before she transferred schools so she could get a photography degree. She does some amazing work...

"Coin Toss"

Jason: "Something smells."
Andrea:"David, do you have a messy diaper?" *sniff* "Yep. Woud you mind helping me change him?"
Jason: *sniff, cough, cough* "Okay, but I call heads."

Mom's always get the tail end...

In Remembrance

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in times of comfort, but where he stands in times of challenge and controversy." Martin Luther King, Jr.

3 years ago today my father-in-law Dan passed away. I was in the room at the moment he died, and so this is a day that will forever be etched in my memory. Although this might seem somber, it is my way of remembering him and celebrating his life. I want to share with you 3 examples of Dan's character.

• Dan was a pilot in the air force during the Vietnam war. He performed many heroic acts during this time, but the one that won him the distinguished flying cross, is a true representation of his bravery and compassion. During the war, a US Fort was under heavy enemy fire and all supply chains had been cut off. The fort was running low on supplies and would be soon overtaken, if it could not resupply its ammo. Given the high risk of the mission, the commander asked for volunteers to fly over the battle zone and drop supplies on the crippled fort. 7 captains volunteered for the mission, including Dan. During the mission, 7 cargo planes entered the war zone, but only 3 came out. Dan, not only saved the lives of those in the fort, but he also piloted his plane in a manor for which he saved all the lives of his crew.

• As a manager Dan was once asked by one of his employers to fire one of his employees. He was not satisfied with their reasons and refused to do so because the man had a family to take care of. Dan was warned if he didn't fire the man he would be demoted. That is indeed what happened because Dan stood firm in his beliefs.

• Dan's last 9 months were spent in and out of hospitals and he was always, always polite to the doctors, nurses, and anyone who took care of him. He made sure to say "please" and "thank you" and he never complained. As a family we would pray for his healing, but Dan would always just pray that God's will be done. When Dan was told he had a week to live he took the news courageously. He told us was happy to be able to go home and thankful for the opportunity to have hospice care.
  

We still miss you Dan.

Amateur Family Photographer

Ben cooperates with the camera, David not so muchSaying "cheese", but too busy to look up
This one is pretty good of Will and Lara
Both looking at me this time, but still not a great shot

Today David and I went to see my sister Lara and nephews Ben and Will. David and Ben had a really great time together today. They are really starting to interact well. Ben enjoys showing David the ropes, and David likes to copy his older cousin. They are only 18 months apart in age so I know the best is yet to come. The best picture of the day would have been their chocolate ice cream faces at Bruster's, but sometimes life just gets in the way...I've decided my best pictures are not posed anyway...