Amazon Sales

Some have asked how our Amazon sales are going.

Well...

So far we have sold 7 books. Not bad. We have about 40 listed and at least 100 more to go through. We also have about 100 so far that are worth less than $2 and I have discoverd it would actually cost us money to sell them. But more on that later...

Here are the prices we have sold them for so far:
2.97
2.88
1.23
3.49
14.99
4.99
3.94

For a grand total of $34.99.

And lets not forget the shipping costs paid by the buyer. At 3.99 per book, quite a bit more than the actual shipping cost of $2.13, the total money paid by all the buyers combined is $62.42!

Sounds great!

Oh yeah, then there is the little matter of the fees. Amazon charges $.99 for each listing and then $1.35 for each book plus 15% of the sale price. Shipping is the aforementioned $2.13 and packaging costs $.90 per envelope.

So what we actually received in real cash money for each book is:
1.14
1.07
-.33
1.59
11.36
2.86
1.97

For a grand total of $19.66.

So, that's how it's going. I'm glad to receive the extra money and the kids love listing the books. Since they are doing most of the work, I guess I come out ahead. I think if most of the books we have listed actually sell, we'll do just fine.

Disney Passes - Coming!

We are currently Disney Pass-less. We are saving the money and need about $100 more.


So as my dad was cleaning out his garage, he persuaded my mom to give up her MASSIVE collection of Christian romance novels. That big box is completely filled up with books. There have to hundreds of them.



The girls now are faced with the daunting task of entering them in Amazon and trying to sell these things. (If you are interested, view my storefront!) Unfortunately the majority of them are literally worthless. But we managed to get a few up there. Four have already sold!




So wish us luck. Soon we'll be back to partyin' with the Mouse.

Long Beach and the Snow

First of all, I didn't take this photo, but isn't is gorgeous. It was originally published here. How unbelievable is this shot of the ocean with the snow-capped mountains in the background.

This is definitely something cool about Long Beach.

More Scrapbook Pages - part 4

Since Regan has been sick, I have had some down time. So I put it to good use and scrapbooked. I got about 30 pages done in the last couple of days. Here are a few I thought I'd share.

Regan is Sick

Our poor Regan is sick. It is such a rare event that I had to blog about it. Sick days are nice. It means we have to stay home and relax.

Isn't she cute when she's sick?!

Date Night

Tonight, Tim and I went on a date, just the two of us. It's a rare kind of thing.


We did our favorite date which is to go to dinner (Lucilles) and then head over to Barnes and Noble where we read books and don't buy anything. (I feel a little guilty about that.)


So tonight, my book of choice was How Not to Look Old.

It was very interesting if somewhat cringe-inducing reading. Anyone over 30 should take a look. (After all, if you are in your 20s, you don't want to look like you belong in junior high, so you don't need this book.)

Lots of info about how to look great, naturally. Of course, "naturally" doesn't mean "naturally". It would cost me small fortune to start with just the basics in order to look natural.

But it did have some helpful hints. (Bangs - yes, hair parted in the middle - no; dark lipstick -no, pink lip gloss - yes; heels - definitely!)

I'll be making a few changes...

I have been waiting all year for this!

It's almost February, and you know what that means... CUPCAKES at Starbucks. They are so yummy and delicious and I LOVE them...

Diet will have to wait until March.

Creation - from a different perspective

I got this in an email today and I thought it was rather true!

In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth and populated the Earth with broccoli, cauliflower and spinach, green and yellow andred vegetables of all kinds, so Man and Woman would live long and healthy lives.


Then using God's great gifts, Satan created Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream and Krispy Creme Donuts. And Satan said, "You want chocolate with that?" And Man said, "Yes!" and Woman said, "and as long as you're at it, add some sprinkles." And they gained 10 pounds. And Satan smiled.


And God created the healthful yogurt that Woman might keep the figure that Man found so fair. And Satan brought forth white flour from the wheat, and sugar from the cane and combined them. And Woman went from size 6 to size 14.


So God said, "Try my fresh green salad." And Satan presented Thousand-Island Dressing, buttery croutons and garlic toast on the side. And Man and Woman unfastened their belts following the repast.


God then said, "I have sent you heart healthy vegetables and olive oil in which to cook them." And Satan brought forth deep fried fish andchicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter. And Man gained more weight and his cholesterol went through the roof. God then created a light, fluffy white cake, named it "Angel Food Cake," and said, "It is good." Satan then created chocolate cake and named it "Devil's Food."


God then brought forth running shoes so that His children might lose those extra pounds. And Satan gave cable TV with a remote control so Man would not have to toil changing the channels. And Man and Woman laughed and cried before the flickering blue light and gained pounds.


Then God brought forth the potato, naturally low in fat and brimming with nutrition. And Satan peeled off the healthful skin and sliced thestarchy center into chips and deep-fried them. And Man gained pounds.


God then gave lean beef so that Man might consume fewer calories and still satisfy his appetite. And Satan created McDonald's and its 99-cent double cheeseburger. Then said, "You want fries with that?" And Man replied, "Yes! And super size them!" And Satan said, "It is good." And Man went into cardiac arrest.


God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery.


Then Satan created HMOs.

Now we know what has been going on behind the scenes!

DVD Player Giveaway

We recently bought a Clear Play DVD player. This ingenious devise filters out inappropriate content in movies. We are really loving it!

However, now we have our old DVD player. It works just fine, but it is nothing fancy. If anyone needs a player (not a recorder) let me know. It might be perfect for a school or church or whatever.

I'd rather give this to someone who needs it rather than Goodwill (see my previous post!).

Leave a comment if you are interested.

Clothes Giveaway

It's almost spring... so SPRING CLEANING! Of course, I love to spring clean all the time. Tonight, I looked in Regan's closet. It is absolutely PACKED!! So we went through the clothes and pulled out TONS of stuff that she can't wear anymore. Cute stuff that breaks my heart to part with.

So... if you or someone you know needs some very nice girls clothes in sizes 7-10, let me know. These are things from Gymboree, Gap, Target, Kohls, Justice, etc. The pile includes several very nice sets of pjs and hardly used heavy jacket from Osh Kosh, as well as lots of shirts and pants. Many are winter wear, so they could be worn immediately, but there are a few summer things as well.

I know I can give them to Goodwill, but I'd rather they went to someone who could use and appreciate them.

I really want to see them go to a good home!

I'm Done!

Here are my last scrapbook pages from Walt DisneyWorld -53 pages in all!

These are from our stay at the Grand Floridian. It is the best hotel offered on the Disney property, and it is ABSOLUTELY gorgeous. It is a victorian beauty in red and white. Sitting on a lake and facing the Magic Kingdom, it commands Disney premier title.

Inside the lobby is the crown jewel of gingerbread houses. This full-sized creation houses a small pastry shop and has the most incredible decorations. Everything about this place is perfect.

Of course, we had to swim here too. The pool is right on the lake and sports a large water slide. The water was a little cold, but the view doesn't get any better.

On the last day, more family portraits. We were also able to celebrate my dad's birthday just before we left. So I celebrated mine on the way to Hawaii, he celebrated his on almost the last day of DisneyWorld. What a magical year!

the office

A friend turned me onto this show. She kept telling me how much I would like and how much I needed to watch it. I actually don't watch a lot of TV, so I just didn't see how it would fit in my very limited TV schedule. But this summer, when everything else was in repeats, we watched it.

Tim and I got so hooked. He received all three previous seasons for his birthday. Our special treat to ourselves has been to watch the episodes with the Platts.

Tonight, we watched the last episode... sob... With the writer's strike, we don't even have any new episodes to look forward to.

I LOVE THIS SHOW!!

warning: contains inappropriate material. Don't say you weren't warned!

Car Update

Yeah! So far so good... The dealer called and said he thought it may only be the coolant temperature sensor - $236. So they replaced that, the "check engine" light went off, and IT PASSED SMOG CHECK! So now we can continue to drive this thing for two more years!!

Disney Cruise

I'm almost done scrapbooking the Walt DisneyWorld trip!!!

The first thing you do after boarding is head off to the Sail Away Party. (Actually the very first thing is eating from the most incredible buffet you will ever attend.) Everyone goes up on the top deck and dances on the covered Goofy Pool. As you can see, everyone got into it. Is there any better reason for dancing than setting off on a Disney Cruise?

But even before the party, it's the muster drill in case we need to load up the lifeboats. But we're itchin' to get going! Enough drill, let's party!

Immediately after the party, it was off to the pool. They have an amazing slide the kids enjoyed, but it was very crowded! The grown-ups didn't go in, but we sat and read and relaxed. Once again, my definition of a perfect vacation - water and a book!

The second day was spent in the Bahamas. We didn't get off, but enjoyed a more empty ship. More swimming in the pool.


Then the best day - Castaway Cay. Disney's personal island is amazing. You dock right on the island and catch a tram to the main beach area. There are thousands of beach chairs and umbrellas already set up and waiting for you. We parked ourselves in a comfortable, shady spot... near the food!




We rested, relaxed and snorkeled, shopped and ate a marvelous BBQ lunch. This is the day you never want to end.


As you've probably noticed, I've mentioned the food a couple of times. The food is the most amazing part (next to all the other most amazing parts!) It is unbelievably good. The man in the photo between Dawn and my mom is the pastry chef. Dawn had to meet him after eating his Creme Brulee. She said she may never eat it again as she is now ruined for any other.

There are three restaurants on board and you rotate among them. Each has it's own theme. The kids only ate at one with us - The Animator's Palette, a multi-million dollar facility that changes from black and white to color as you eat. It was there we celebrated Pirate Night with our pirate handkerchiefs and a Pirate Party that night.

One of my missions was to get a nice family portrait. It was almost impossible, since there was always something going on. But we finally managed to sneak these in.


Good-by Disney Cruise. I'll miss you!!!

Check Engine Light

The check engine light has been on in our Maxima for about a year. We take it to our mechanic, but he can't find the problem. It stalls once in awhile and sometimes won't start right away. Other than that, it's fine.

The problem: We have to get it smogged and it won't pass with the light on.

So I took it to the dealer. When the service writer saw the code, he looked dismal. He told me the car is most likely totaled.

So now, we can't sell it, we can't register it. It runs pretty good, but it is worthless. We can't even keep it and continue driving it until it dies...

Maybe they'll have some good news when they call. Something like, "Congratulations, we can fix it. It's only going to cost several thousand dollars..."

Ugh. I hate... stuff.

24 Hours is Enough

I have had an epiphany.

I read a blog post recently about not having enough time. Before I even read the post, my first thought was, "We ALL do have enough time. Twenty-four is enough!"

Now coming from me, this was revolutionary. See my motto tends to be, I don't have enough time. When asked to do something extra, I usually reply in my sarcastic way, "I'll get to it in my free time." I have literally been reduced to tears when looking at my schedule.

But I think it was God that spoke into my heart that day. I thought, God gives us 24 hours. He gives me 24 hours, He gives the President of the United States 24 hours, even God himself limits himself and works within our 24 hours. IT'S ENOUGH!

So I started thinking, but what if it's not?

It's kind of like money I guess. No one, NO ONE, no matter how much money they have thinks it's enough. Yet, we can all recognize that there is definitely a level at which it's enough (that level is usually just a bit more than we have).

God hit me with, If you don't have enough time, it's not my fault. You are wasting it on things I didn't ask you to do. I wouldn't give you more than is physically possible to do. I don't ask you to spend 25 hours a day on my work... only 24! So review your schedule. Do only what I have asked you to do, and you will have enough time.

Well... that hit me!

So I started thinking, what exactly has God asked my to do?

Homeschool - a BIG part of my day, but now I see it as my time priority
Be a housekeeper (Keeper/guardian/protector of my home and family)
Be a wife and support my husband
Be a friend (love and support all those God has placed in my life)
Be a witness for Him to those around me
Be a good daughter (Honor you father and mother)
Use my gifts and passions to further His cause
Spend time with Him (doesn't this seem to be the one that gets bumped first!)

There may be other things He brings in from time to time, but now I can measure time pressures by how well they meet my God-given priorities. If I do this, I will have enough time.

A few months ago, after being continually frustrated with not having enough money, I gave my checkbook to God. Now I check with Him before spending money and low and behold, I have more than enough all of a sudden!

So now I am doing the same with my time. This week has been very nice. I have had plenty of time. I have kept up with the daily Bible reading as well as going beyond that. I have had time to pray. I don't feel rushed and stressed and I am not passing that onto my family. I have had time to babysit for a friend. School has been going very well...

Amazing what a refocus can do for you.

Beach Club

Back to Walt DisneyWorld scrapbook pages.

This is the hotel where we stayed at the beginning of the trip. It's called the Beach Club. It's modeled after an East Coast summer vacation spot. It is so quaint and so amazingly beautiful. It sits on a lake which borders a boardwalk, Epcot and MGM. I love the Cape Cod design and the myriad of details which transport you to a time a place that no longer exists. The pool is so large, it considered a water park. You cannot see from one end to the other. In my fantasy world, this is where I would live for the rest of my life!

One final fun fact. You may be wondering what I am going to do with these pages I am creating. I found a website that will print 12 x 12 pages for a very low cost. It's called Scrapbooks to Share. If any of you want to get into digital scrapbooking, but don't know how you would output them, this is the perfect solution.

Recrudescence - look it up

One more resolution... I want to look up words I come across that I don't know. With dictionary.com, it falls under my 30 second rule, so I guess it's not technically a new resolution.

So here it is in the original context: Barack Obama, who might be mercifully closing the Clinton parenthesis in presidential history, is refreshingly cerebral amid this recrudescence of the paranoid style in American politics. - George Will

re·cru·des·cence /ˌrikruˈdɛsəns/ –noun
breaking out ...

Look it up yourself!

I hereby resolve to...

I know New Year's resolutions are so cliche, but for the past few years, I have had a change in my thinking.

Always it was, "Lose weight", "Read the Bible everyday", "Go to the gym"... and I'd get bummed when I forgot about them by January 10th.

So I decided a couple of years ago, to take one thing, one seemingly small thing, that I had been vowing to change and finally just do it. I didn't have to make a daily commitment or change who I basically was, just one small thing I knew I either shouldn't or should be doing.

One year, it was to clean my wedding ring in the shower. I still do that.

Another year, it was to stop wearing cheap, ill-fitting clothes. I still do that.

One year, it was to get complete dressed before leaving my bedroom in the morning - including shoes. Last Friday was the first time I have gone back on that one.

A good one from a few years back was to do whatever would take less than 30 seconds right then. You know, switch laundry from the washer to the dryer, empty the dishwasher, fill the dog's bowl with water. I'm tempted to do it later, but come on... 30 seconds!?! It usually takes about 10 seconds. I can spare 10 seconds. I even set the timer on the microwave at the beginning to see if it truly fell under the 30 second rule. Then it felt like a race. Still do it.

The very first one I made in this new way of thinking was to use the restroom when the need first hit. I know, I know... TMI. But I was having a serious problem with waiting too long and then standing in front of the bathroom screaming at whoever had taken the spot. No more, thanks to my New Year's resolution.

See now, when I look at my ring or try on some clothes and I'm tempted to return to the old me, I think, nope I made a resolution. I wanted to change this about me for a reason.

So onto this year... My New Year's resolution this year is to enjoy my food. If you know me or have eaten with me, you know I gobble down my food (part of the 30 second thing I guess). The thing is, I LOVE eating. Heaven for me will be eating whatever I want and never getting full or gaining weight. But I recently realized I eat so fast, I don't enjoy the food - the taste, the texture, the various flavors.

So this year, I resolve to slow down. Enjoy this gift God has given us. Spend time with my food and the company around me.

What about you? Any New Year's resolutions? Any from the past that have been successful? Remember, the most important part about making a resolution is the recognition that you have something in your life that needs changing. Whether you actually make the change or not is secondary to the knowledge that the problem exists.

So think about it. Share it. Start small.

Laurie's Funeral

Well, I haven't blogged in a few days. I needed to get past the funeral. After all, it's hard to follow up a deep post like the last one with a clown story or a New Year's resolution.

We had the funeral today. It was held at the graveside at Forest Lawn in Cypress. The wind chilled us and the rain drizzled a little. I couldn't feel my toes. Appropriate weather for a funeral.

I know it's a celebration of her life. I know she is happy and whole right now, yet everyone still wore black.

Wind and rain worked.

Despite the tragedy of the situation, it didn't have a sad ring to it however. We still laughed and talked about Laurie and caught with family members we haven't seen since the last funeral.

So now, for Laurie's husband and kids, life starts... again. Without her. Tom told me that it dawned on him last night as he ate out with his daughters, Lauren's boyfriend, Nichole's husband and her in-laws that he would always be a third wheel.

That stabbed my heart.

To always have a partner, no matter what happens, you have a partner, and then to... not.

I don't think he'll be a third wheel. I told him his kids would be more grateful for him than ever. He's all they have.

Yet, despite everything, I think he will be O.K. His faith in God just got a very big jump start. He'll be O.K.

So we said good-bye to Laurie. Tim and his siblings said good-bye to their sister. Josh, Lauren and Nichole said good-bye to their mom. Tom said good-bye to his wife and countless nieces and nephews said good-bye to Aunt Laurie.

I can't believe she's gone.