Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Winter fun with Swagbucks! Earn free stuff, for free!

Great time to join swagbucks, if you have been thinking about it! This week there will be daily swag codes on their blog and fun winter-themed swagbucks! Collect all 8 collector "bills" and get a 25 swagbuck bonus! The easiest way to get swagbucks is by searching- you can install their toolbar or if you prefer not to, set your home page to www.swagbucks.com or www.search.swagbucks.com. Make sure you sign in with your username before you start searching to earn them to your account! More details about the Winter Madness promotion here.  Swagbucks is great and it's free. I have earned so many Amazon and Starbucks giftcards through this rewards program.  They have lots of other great things you can earn too, even more expensive items like game consoles and Keurigs!  Interested? Click here!  Have fun!

Saturday, December 15, 2012

It's been awhile...

So, so sorry...I have let myself get swept up in other things lately and my blogging, stitching, and even reading have suffered.. I know I keep saying it but I really need to set a timer when I get online. I think there is a timer on my cell phone; I need to start using it!  I'm hoping to do some stitching when I get done with this post- just have to do a bit more cleaning in the living room and I'll be ready. 

I have been stitching on "The Alamo" at least a bit each week.  I will post a pic at the end of this post, as it is on my phone.

The fall leaves are nearly gone now, but here are a few photos of them while they were here-


 
The week before Thanksgiving was kind of crazy. One night Rob and I were getting ready to go to bed and Rob's heart started beating very fast, and he started having chest and arm pain.  We took him to the ER and they tried to get his heart rate slowed down and stabilized.. it slowed down a little but was still beating fast, so they admitted him to run some more tests.  He was in for 3 days and they found out he has atrial fibrillation.. so he will have to stay on medicine now to regulate his heartbeat as well as medicine for cholesterol and high blood pressure.  He is doing well since. He is back to work and feeling better, thank the Lord.
 
Every year our town has a little celebration downtown to officially turn on all the Christmas lights on the downtown streets.  I took David(Hanna had judo) and we went for a little while. It's always so neat to see all the lights turn on at the same time. I have videotaped it before but I forgot to this year.  Here are a few pics though. Ok, well, more than a few.
The quilt shoppe in their new location- see all the fabric inside?

The magnolia tree in the traffic circle/roundabout

This gives you an idea of how big the tree is!



City Hall

 
a downtown view
 
As you can tell by my son's hat, Krispy Kreme was there. We were a little disappointed because they usually give out a doughnut to each person who wants one but this year they only gave a donut hole to each person. Sign of the economy I guess. But they did hand out coupons for $2 off a dozen doughnuts.  Which reminds me, I have to use that before it expires.
 
I had been wanting to get Ginger a "Mr. Bill" toy for quite some time.. I hit the jackpot when I found one on clearance at Target for $2.  She loved him, but as always he didn't last long.. he was made pretty sturdy overall but she still managed to get the stuffing out of a foot. And the foot was not sewn off from the rest of his body so I couldn't just take the stuffing out of the foot and let her keep playing with him.  :( But here she is with him while she had him.
 
 
We got our Christmas tree up, not as early as usual but up nonetheless.. the kids helped me decorate it. In fact they ended up doing most of it cause Rob and I ended up going grocery shopping. :/
 



 
There is an angel on top of it now, her wings were broken and I had to glue them back on.
 
I have some other big news (no I am not pregnant. lol) .We are trying to get pre-qualified to buy a house.  I had a couple of errors on my credit report that we are trying to get fixed.. I am really so impatient to get moving (no pun intended). Now that I have house fever I just can't stand waiting to get out there and find one.  We have rented our current place for probably about 15 or 16 years. It is entirely too small for our family  now and I am so anxious for some more space, and to do some of the things with our living space I have not been able to do here due to lack of room.  So please say prayers for us, that we will get approved for enough to get our family a nice home and find the perfect one for us.  It has been a long time coming.  Thank you. ♥  And that is one of the more recent reasons I have not blogged.. lunch breaks are spent making phone calls trying to get this credit issue worked out, and when I am online I am scouring realty websites looking for that perfect place. 
 
And last but not least, here is the Alamo - I think I have done a bit more since I took this, I can't remember.
 
I really appreciate you all sticking with me even though I am so sporadic in posting sometimes!! I will try (again) to post more often!
 
 
 
 

Fallen by Linda Castillo

  It's been a while! I have a book review for you today.  Many thanks to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for allowing me to read an...