The Juntunens

100 Calorie Snacks

2009-07-14T12:15:00.000-07:00

I hate spending money on pre-packages snacks, so when I saw this newsline, I just had to go read it.
Here are 100 calorie snacks without spending a ton of money!!

5 Hershey's dark chocolate Kisses or 2 Dove Promise dark chocolate miniatures
2 fresh figs or 1 juicy pear
English muffin toasted with just enough cheddar to meltingly cover the top
1 heaping cup of cherries or 12 dried apricot halves
12 almonds
1 Klondike Slim-a-Bear fudge bar or 2 Dole frozen fruit juice bars
48 Rold Gold pretzel sticks
If you're pregnant and craving nothing but pickles, you can happily munch and crunch through 8 medium dills.

I found this information here.

Inexpensive Auto Repair

2009-05-15T08:02:00.000-07:00

My car overheated one day and we started investigating and realized there was a leak.
My husband spent all day last Saturday working on the car and got the problem fixed. So we thought.
Sunday when I drove it to church I saw it was still leaking.
We parked the car and have been trying to figure all this mess out.
So today I took my car into the shop to find out where the leak was coming from. They figured it out, gave me a quote, we chit chatted, I got in my car and drove home.....
WITHOUT PAYING!!!!!
Now that people, is how you save money in car repairs!!!

*I called the shop and told them I would be in later to pay and I did!
I did not have them fix the leak as hubby and I decided if it was too much $$ he would fix the car himself. Well.....he is fixing the car himself.

We are taking pics at various stages of the tear down to help jog his memory!

Dance Pictures

2009-05-15T07:56:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics I took of the girls before we headed to the dance studio to have class pics taken.
Their recital is May 29th.
They are taking Jazz/Hip Hop

Shed Hunting

2009-05-05T20:46:00.000-07:00

This is not a favorite sport of mine or the girls.
Allen loves to go out in the spring and look for the antlers the Elk have shed.
Our biggest find was a skull which we left there!!!

Easter

2009-05-05T20:37:00.001-07:00

I know I am really behind on my blogging.
The girls are growing up so quickly!!
Easter 2009
Allen did not want his picture taken so this is just me and my girls!!

Mommy's Helpers

2009-05-05T20:29:00.000-07:00

I had a very busy day and my daughter asked me if I needed an extra hand in the kitchen.
I said, "Of course"!!
This is what I got:

I Told You So

2009-05-05T20:21:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love it when you can say, I told you so" to someone?
Well, a while back my daughter decided she wanted to put her short hair in rollers overnight.
I warned her that her hair would be really curly in the morning and probably not the look she was after.
Well, she was determined to do her own thing so I rolled her hair for her.
Need I say anything more!!
Just check out the pics.

Live and Learn.

Finally

2009-03-19T14:01:00.000-07:00

I know this isn't the post you were looking for, but, I am working on a couple new ones. Hang in there!!!
I have pics and everything!
see ya soon

Craziness

2009-01-23T06:46:00.000-08:00

I am terribly sorry it has been so long since my last post.
Life just seemed to open up and swallow me!!
I have been compiling all the class information for our homeschool co-op.
The classes were announced earlier this week, so I was hustling to get all the proofing and last minute changes done. In the midst of working on all the co-op stuff my computer developed a BAD virus and had to be carried out on a stretcher. They were not able to delete the virus, so they had to reconfigure my 'puter. I am back online now and it feels good!!! Due to my computer "crashing" I was inspired(funny how having strangers in your house "inspires" you!!!)to clean my home office.
There was just a small path from the door to the desk, but now you can actually walk without knocking stuff down and causing a major earthquake.
I am still working on organizing the craft side of the room so please be patient with me!!

Quilt Tradition

2008-12-26T10:19:00.000-08:00

My mom started a tradition when I was little of making and giving quilts for Christmas. I also have started this and the kids (all 2 of them!! LOL) on my husbands side all get a quilt. They don't get one every year, but every few years after they wear out or the kids have outgrown that size. This year was Jessica's turn. I bought the fabric before Thanksgiving but didn't get the quilt finished until 1 hour before they arrived for Christmas!! Silly me.
Here are pics of the finished quilt.

The front of the quilt.

The Backing.

Jessica's dad enjoying the quilt!!

My Frugal Christmas

2008-12-23T11:17:00.000-08:00

I have tried really hard this year to not spend a lot of money on gifts, and to just use the things I already have. So I looked around to see what I could see.
#1 3 no longer needed sweaters. 1 acrylic(cream) and 2 wool (which I felted)
#2 1 Hat pattern at my mom's house.
I think they turned out pretty amazing!!
(I did purchase the lace/ribbon trim on the cream hat, the pearls I already had on hand.)

Our Christmas House

2008-12-17T14:24:00.001-08:00

Welcome to our home for the Holidays!!!

PS
I collect santas!!!

SNOW

2008-12-17T14:19:00.000-08:00

A few pics of the neighborhood and the girls playing in the snow.

More Gift Ideas

2008-12-17T14:03:00.000-08:00

Here are pics of canned gifts!!
You can do it too...just wrap the can with various (scrapbook) papers add fibers and embellishments and the gift goodies and you. are. DONE!
Manicure set--nail file, polish, etc.
Note set...mini note cards, pen
Cookies in a can...any cookie dough wrapped in parchment and add to can!!

Country House in the Snow

2008-12-17T13:56:00.001-08:00

When we moved to town 3 years ago it was with mixed feelings.

Thankful we had more room...(now we are cramped again!! o, well)
Thankful we were closer to our lives.

Missed the deer/elk as our pets.
Missed the quiet.
Missed the privacy.
And of course the SNOW!!!
Every winter approx. 18 inches of snow was the norm for us! We loved it!!
Allen took the girls up there Sunday afternoon and then again Tuesday evening.
There was 61/2 inches of snow!!!

I am still counting my blessings even if it is with less snow!
(We still own the property so we can go play whenever we want to.)

The Tree

2008-12-14T19:20:00.000-08:00

Well, here is the TREE!!
Merry Christmas!!

Wrap it up

2008-12-09T08:10:00.000-08:00

Christmas is coming and with it comes the wrapping of all the packages!!!
Wrapping paper is one thing that just is not in my budget!!!!
I usually wrap the packages in natural craft paper, stamp it with a tree in green, and add a raffia bow in either burgundy, or natural. My supply of FREE craft paper is dwindling down to almost nothing (Boo-hoo), so I am going to try being a little more creative with my wrapping. I have plain brown grocery sacks I will use as gift bags, I also have some cans that I decorated, that I can use for small gifts.
I will try and post some pics of how it all turned out.

By the way... the plain brown paper matches our homes decor!!
Natural, woodsy,outdoor kinda feel.
Also, my girls do not like it at all!!!!! They want the pretty (expensive) stuff that just gets all ripped to shreds and then we toss it out. I must be getting old, because that is such a a waste to me. Just throwing away good money!! UGH
So if I re-use and recycle then I don't feel so bad. And free always make me feel good, even if we do rip it and toss it!!
(I know I am silly)!!!
Merry Christmas to all!

Christmas Musical

2008-12-08T20:37:00.000-08:00

"All I Want for Christmas" was the title of our children's Christmas musical at church.
Both my girls were in the program and Allie had a leading role.
What is so amazing about that is Allie is very, very, very shy and has a difficult time talking to people. However, if you put her on stage she will sing, dance and now even do some acting!! We are proud of all the children in the musical!!!
The setting was a toy store and the toys come to life. A little girl along with the toys act out the Christmas sory. While re-enacting the story the little girl comes to realize the true meaning of Christmas!! Christmas is not about getting the coolest, or most popular toys. The true meaning of Christmas is JESUS!! I pray all who read this will come to know Him and have true joy in your lives!!!

Allie was a Miss Glamour doll:

Ella was a Jack-in-the-Box:

The whole cast and crew:

The stars of the show:

Christmas #1 and counting

2008-12-03T13:47:00.000-08:00

Well, the Christmas season of gift giving has officially begun.
While my sister from Kansas was here, we decided to exchange Christmas gifts.
I did not realize this until less than 24 hours before the exchange!!!
I had things ready to go that would be perfect for everyone except my nephew.
Boys are difficult for me. He is a teenage boy that likes to cook, sooooo here is what I made him.

Here is what you will need to make your own personalized cookbook:
1 - 3 ring binder w/clear pocket on front cover
Page protectors
Assorted recipes
Cover page

I found clip art online and added the border and title. Printed this out and slipped it into the clear pocket.
Printed copies of recipes(I have made)and put into page protectors.
Put page protectors into binder and you are done!!!!

He loved the cookbook and is ready to try the recipes and add his own.
This was a quick and inexpensive gift!
I already had the page protectors and the binder cost me just .99 at Grocery Outlet.

I did need to purchase a gift for my Brother-in-law, but I found it at Grocery Outlet also.

The total for this gift exchange cost me $3.98

I gave my niece jewelry I hade made and my sister an assortment of thank you cards I hade made.
Everyone loved the gifts.
Even though it was short notice and very, very frugal the gifts fit the person and were well liked!!!
I say we are off to a good start!! Hip-Hip hooray!!!

Thanksgiving weekend

2008-12-02T15:04:00.000-08:00

We had an absolutely crazy Thanksgiving weekend.
Thursday the 4 of us had a quiet traditional Thanksgiving dinner at home.
We left at 7:30pm to pick up my sister and her family from the airport.
We picked them up and then took them to my parents house. Stayed there a little bit and then went home. Friday we got up and got ready for Thanksgiving at my mom's house with the whole fam except for 1 sister. We had things to set up at the church before dinner as the next day my sister (who flew in)and her hubbby were renewing their wedding vows after 20 yrs. of marriage. The "reception" was a surprise 70th birthday party for my dad. So as you can tell we had a lot of stuff to do!! And yes, we did lie!!!:O
I did get my flower girl shirt done.
The re-wedding ceremony was very nice.
Dad was surprised and enjoyed his party. We had lots of pics taken. (Professional pics too!!) This was the first time all 26 members of the family were together under one roof!!
Enjoy the pics!!

This is me 22 pounds lighter and in my new-made-by-me flower girl shirt!!

The four of us.

From 6........

To 26!!!!

Dad's party was a train theme. He has always been enthralled with trains!!

We all survived the craziness!! It was nice having the whole family together, even if only for a short while!!

Busy, Busy, Busy

2008-11-20T08:39:00.000-08:00

O, my!! So much has been going on around here I am not sure where to start
I had so much stuff to get done by last Friday that I could hardly think straight.
If you think I am kidding go ask my children. They will tell you!!
So, here is what I am hoping I accomplished last week:
Last day of home school co-op -- and since I am a coordinator for that, it was important I had paperwork and all sorts of little this & that all wrapped up for the end of session. Everything did go well, and now we are ready to move forward to the new session in February.

Made Caramel Apples—This was a thank you gift for my kid’s teachers at co-op. They turned out yummy!!

Bazaar—I must have lost my mind somewhere when I said yes, I would make some jewelry for a bazaar.
I guess the thought of all the lovely dollars it would bring in blinded me to reality!! I did get items made and made enough money to buy a birthday present for my dad and get my hair cut!!

Cut out my flower girl shirt -- I had to get this cut out, so my sister could get her shirt cut out and sewed also. I ended up cutting out both shirts, but I only have to sew mine.
I will start sewing it this evening.

Make dinner every night—Yes, my family likes to eat every night. HOW RUDE!!
My family did help out and we even made a recipe our youngest learned from her baking class at co-op.
Pizza Pockets!!! They might have looked funny, but they were really good!

I hope to be back soon with a new post for ya!!

New Cookbook

2008-11-17T22:37:00.000-08:00

A new cookbook has just become available!!
My friend, Sharon, has an awesome collection of recipes and has now opened up her collection to all of us! This will make awesome gifts for Christmas! Be sure to get a copy for yourself, too. Click here to purchase your book.

Here is a description:
Sharon Gray, wife, mother and teacher has been satisfying the appetites of friends and family for over 20 years. Sharon's wide variety of cooking styles and recipes have become a highlight of family gatherings and holidays. Now, some of those very same recipes are available for you and yours.

What to do...What to do...What to do????

2008-11-06T18:59:00.001-08:00

What do you do when your children are invited to a birthday party and there is no money to buy a gift???
Well, here is what I did and the total cost was $0.00!!! How is that for frugal.
I made a personalized folder with stationery.

I took a paper folder and added scrapbook paper to compliment the color.
Stamped various words onto matching paper and embossed them.
Then glued it all onto the folder.
For the contents I printed horse clip art onto several pieces of paper and some envelopes. Return address lables with the birthday girls address completed the gift!!
There is another birthday party on Sunday.... I think we will do the same thing for her too.

20, and still counting down

2008-11-05T21:52:00.000-08:00

Just thought you all might want to know that I have now lost 20 pounds!!
There is still a long way to go, but at least I am on my way.

Saturdays Outing

2008-10-29T08:22:00.001-07:00

Saturday we went on a little beach hike.
Roasted hot dogs and s'mores were on the menu!!
Here are a few pics of the day.

Flower Girl

2008-10-27T07:51:00.000-07:00

In November I have the privilege of being a flower girl in my sisters wedding.
Weird huh???
OK, here is the deal... my sister Sue, and her husband are renewing their wedding vows!!
Sue has asked me and our oldest sister if we would be flower girls, so of course we said yes, because every overweight, over 40 girl wants to wear a little-bo-peep dress!!! Actually, Sue has left the decision of what to wear up to us. That was a bave move on her part, considering I have an ornery streak a mile wide!!!
We have decided to make something for the 2 of us to wear.
Sue, has chosen pink, white and black for the vow renewal ceremony colors (WOW!!).
I found this fabric for $2.50 a yard and patterns were on sale for $.99.
Check back later and see what I came up with!!

My Goal

2008-10-22T17:22:00.000-07:00

OK, you all, I am going to make myself accountable to a few more people!!
If you look closely at our family picture at the top of my blog you will see that I am a little fluffy!!! (Which is exactly why the girls are standing right in front of me!!!) My goal is to lose a total of 30 pounds by Thanksgiving!! So far I have lost around 15!!!!!!!!!! Yeah!! Go me. I am not going cuckoo with this, but I am walking approx. 30-40 minutes every day, and reduced my desserts to one day a week.
I am telling you right now that the thing I absolutely crave the most is Reese's peanut butter cups. YUM!

I tried on a shirt today that I have had for a couple of years (or longer) and believe it or not the thing actually fit!! It was a little tight in the arms, but at least the chest area looked normal!! It was a very good feeling!!

Anywho's that is my goal and now it is out for the whole world to see.

Yes, I know I used way too many exclamation points in this post, but when you are talking about losing weight they just gotta be included!!!!!!

Christmas is Coming

2008-10-21T22:45:00.000-07:00

Well, Christmas is not too far away.
I have decided not to buy any presents for the extended family.
(depending on the job situation, it might be for immediate family also)
I spent the evening at my moms house coming up with gift ideas for nieces and nephews without spending any money!!
Well, I think I have come up with some terrific ideas.
I searched my closets and found items previously purchased for WHATEVER!!

I love a good clearance sale.

I will post the gift items at a later date.
Some family members are soooooo nosy!!

God is

2008-10-21T22:35:00.000-07:00

Yes, God is.
And He is so much more....
God is:
Good ... even when life is bad
Faithful ... even when we fail
Loving ... even when we sin
All knowing ... so we just need to relax and let Him do His thing!!!

We found out yesterday that my husband might be out of a job.
The mill he works at has undergone MAJOR changes in the last year.
Apparently someone in the office decided to layoff 80 more people!!
We do not know when we will know, it could be tomorrow, or next week, or.......

Whatever happens He already knows, and He will take care of us.

FOUND

2008-10-18T19:55:00.001-07:00

A couple days ago I posted about not being able to find our multiplication CD, well...we found it. I guess I should say my daughter found it. It was hiding in a CD case for a different CD. Go figure!! I guess this next week we will be brushing up on our times tables. I am sure it was found with mixed feelings!!

Fort Worden

2008-10-14T19:19:00.000-07:00

My husabnd has been intrigued with Fort Worden State Park ever since he went there as a child.
We have gone a couple of times since we have been married, but this was the first time we took the girls.
I guess the old forts are mostly a boy thing 'cause our girls were not too thrilled about walking in the old tunnels. I am not sure if me running out full speed ahead mumbling something about a bat had anything to do with it or not!!
Allen has always wanted to stay in an officers house so we finally did!
The out side was in desperate need of a new coat of paint, while the inside was very clean. I was impressed with the cleanliness. NO dog hair on the bed sheets!!
(Yellowstone could learn something from these people!)
We had a short (1 night), but, pleasant stay.
The first day we checked out the museum and then for 3 hours walked among all the forts. I was able to relax and read a book in the evening!! WOO HOO.

We wish we would have been able to stay longer, but we enjoyed the time anyways.

Ummmmmm

2008-10-14T19:01:00.000-07:00

I would love to be able to sit down at my computer and ramble on about everything that has happened today, but, I am not sure what was accomplished today, so I will tell you what did not get done.
*The multiplication CD that we misplaced did not get found
*My 30 minute walk did not get walked
*The laundry that is piling up did not get washed
*The dirty dishes did not get washed (yet)
*The floors did not get mopped (They did get mopped last Tuesday!!)
*The girls did not finish cleaning their bedroom

As I am typing this I did think of some things we did today and it makes me feel pretty good!!

*My craft table in my office got part way cleaned while looking for the Multiplication CD!!
*I cleaned out from under the girls' beds and got a good start on cleaning their room while looking for the multiplication CD!!
*Oldest daughter read a whole book on Christopher Columbus while waiting for me to find the multiplication CD!!
*Youngest daughter read a bunch of sight words to me since we couldn't find the Multiplication CD!!
*My husband went grocery shopping with me(after he got home!!
*I made dinner, and everyone liked it and got full!!
*I actually signed into my blog and wrote something!!
*And most importantly I was able to read my Bible study this morning before the day took off!!!!

I guess it wasn't a wasted day after all!!!

Happy Birthday

2008-09-27T20:05:00.000-07:00

Our oldest daughter is now 12!!
How quickly they grow from little tadpoles.
Every year our girls get to pick a theme for a party and I make a cut-up cake to go with the theme. This years cake was a frog!!
Now that they are older I have less work to do for the party as they like to plan it themselves. The party was held at the park (2 blocks from our house!!)and after cake and the gifts they sent dad home for the volleyball.
I am pretty sure they had fun as no one wanted to leave when the parents came.

Seeing Red

2008-09-06T14:42:00.000-07:00

O boy, am I seeing red!!! I have been waiting and waiting for this day and it just is not getting here fast enough!!
The toamtoes in our garden are almost ready for picking!!!
I love them 'maters. Yum-O!
We have gotten a good amount of other fresh produce, also from our little garden.
Check it out.....

A Hunting He Will Go

2008-09-06T14:14:00.000-07:00

My dear darling husbnd has left for 2 weeks to spend time in God's creation.
All I can say is, "The freezer needs meat, darling!!" Yes, bow hunting season has begun. Just about every year for the last 11 years the afore mentioned dear darling has forgotten something and I have had to make a mad dash to wherever he is when he rememberd what it is that he has forgotten. Well, this year was no exception. Bob (the brother) and I asked Allen if he had packed his; Boots? yes. Tent? yes. Poles? yes. Hunting license? yes.(And yes, those are the actual items he has forgotten in the past!!) So thinking I was out of the woods of another mad dash I hugged his neck, kissed him on the lips and shoved him out the door. A little while later the phone rang, guess who??!!?? Of course the dear darling!! I answered the phone with, "What did you forget?" You will never in a million years guess what he forgot!!
HIS BELT!!!!!! A belt of all things. He said he needed it or his pants would fall down. Well, leave 'em where they lie darling!!!!!! I am such a dear, loving, sweet, devoted wife that I once again made the mad dash!! (Ranting and raving of course.)
Apart from the mad dash out the door every year I look forward to this 2 weeks.
While Allen is out hunting with his brother, my sister-in-law moves in to our house and the kids eat junk food and we scrapbook!!
FOR 2 WEEKS!!!!!! Pure Joy!! I know some of you are wondering what we do about school, becasue you know we homeschool. Well, we do not start school until OCTOBER!!
The kids think that is the coolest thing ever. (They do not realize that we also have a longer school year....hee hee.)

We just hope and pray they catch a big one!!(as my mother would say)

What a Deal

2008-08-30T13:32:00.000-07:00

My friend Gayle posted awhile back about going to a Goodwill Outlet where you pay for the clothing by the pound. I asked for the address and my sister-in-law and I headed down there.
We had an absolute ball!!! If you are a bargain hunter and love garage sales, flee markets, and thrift stores then you need to find one of these babies.
My girls were in desperate need of clothes and the budget right now just can't take a whole new wardrobe. My oldest had only 1 pair of pants. How sad is this!!
I took measurements, made a list, checked it twice, and off we went.
We were in bargain heaven!! I am not a brand name shopper (too small budget), but I am all for it at these prices.
The clothing I purchased was new or in like new condition.
I purchased 64 pound of goods and it came to $48.16
Here are some of the name brands I found along with a list (and pics)of the items.
Enjoy!!
Danskin, Calvin Klein, Roxy, The Childrens Place, Nike, Keds, Bobby Jack, New Balance, Hello Kitty, and more.
2 Magazine Holders
2 Plastic Storage Drawers (these were filthy..the garden hose and clorox clean up does wonders)
1 Stapler
1 Pencil Box
1 CD Holder (matches the girls' room)
4 pr. Jeans
2 pr. Slacks
7 Knit/sweat Pants
1 Half Slip
2 Nightgowns
15 Tops
2 Vests
1 Swimsuit (NEVER WORN!!!!)
1 Skirt
2 Aprons
9 pr. Shoes
1 Sheet
6 yds. tulle
6 Books
10 Jkts./coats (Oldest daughter had none)

The above list is what we are keeping. The below list is what did not work for us so friends will benefit with these goodies.
3 pr. Jeans
2 pr. Shorts
3 Cotton Slacks
1 Knit Pants
12 Tops
1 Dress

So, needless to say your money goes a loooooooonnnnnnggggg way if you are willing to sort!!

Alone Time

2008-08-13T13:21:00.000-07:00

Ahhhhh, it is quite around her right now!!
Allen is on vacation this week, and he is getting ready to go backpacking tomorrow.
He did find time in his busy schedule to take the girls and go find a bicycle helmet for Allie.
She did not want me to take her 'cause I would want her to get a helmet with flowers or something weird like that!!! (this is what she told her dad!!)

My, my..how they grow up sooooo fast.

Tonight is our annual bike rodeo at church.
Maybe if I remember I will take the camera with us!!

Christmas is Coming

2008-07-21T12:02:00.000-07:00

I asked my friend Gayle the other day, who is doing an awesome grocery cart challenge, what she does for budgeting Christmas gifts. The more information I gave her the more I answered my own question.
Her extended family is a quite a bit smaller than mine, so I am going to have to rely on my own thinking, BUMMER!!

I have 3 siblings, Allen has 1.
Allen's side we buy for everybody which equals 4 people. (both his parents have passed away.)

On my side of the family we just buy for all the kids, and my parents of course!!
I have 5 nephews and 9 nieces. That makes 14 gifts!!!!!!! Yowsies!!
I usually make stuff for the girls which saves me TONS of money, but I have a hard time choosing gifts for the boys.

I have some new ideas that I will be sharing with you all here.
Keep watching for answers to my Christmas dilema!!

Thanks Gayle for your wealth of information at the Grocery Cart Challenge!!

The going on's at our house

2008-07-11T14:36:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of things that have been happening around our place for the past month or so.
I got the backyard ready for a July 4th picnic.
Here are pics of before and after of my flower bed.
It took me almost a week to get rid of the weeds.
They are dare not rear their ugly little heads again!!

Fathers Day we BBQ'd.
We had to try out the new bbq baskets Allen and Dad got.
They work pretty slick!!

I am trying to save money wherever I can on our budget so I decided to cut the girls' hair myself!!!
They still have hair and look pretty cute if ya ask me!!

I need to find a before pic.
I forgot of course to take one!! Silly me!!

OK, I found this pcture of the girls. It was taken on Easter. Their hair still had 3 months to grow before I whacked it off. (With their permission, of course!!)
They both had decided they wanted short hair for summer, as long as it could still be pulled back into pony-tail.

Baby it's Hot Outside

2008-07-10T15:14:00.000-07:00

WOW!! We have been having some nice hot weather around here.
So hot in fact, we all got in the pool.

You do not see me because someone had to take the picture!
And I wouldn't want to scare you all by seeing me in a swim suit! Ghastly!!!

Ending the 4th with a bang

2008-07-07T21:38:00.000-07:00

My dad had a heart attack Friday Night.
He is home now, and doing good.
This is his 2nd heart attack in 1 1/2 yrs.
He is a very sick man and we are blessed to be able to have him with us any length of time God allows us.

I am exhausted so this is short.

I hope you all had a safe and happy July 4th.

Enjoy Your Independence

2008-07-02T13:16:00.001-07:00

Happy Independence day to all!!
Have fun and enjoy your friends, family,and food.
Be safe!!
The Juntunens

Summer Is Here

2008-06-27T17:32:00.000-07:00

O, what glorious weather we have been having!!
This not a normal occurence out here in the Pacific Northwest.
My arms are actualy brown, and it isn't dirt!!!!!

The days are sunny and warm with a little breeze, just the way I like it.
Our whole family is suffering with allergies, but, it is almost worth it to be outside in the sunshine!!

We are getting the back yard ready for a big July 4th celebration.
I will post pics of the big event.
Gotta run now, the family needs dinner and then I have more weeds to pull!!

The Countdown

2008-06-18T18:01:00.000-07:00

We only have 2 more days of school left!!!!
Yee Haw!

And the Winner is

2008-06-13T06:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning there was an email in my in-box from a home school (on-line) store and they were having a contest. The email said they were only 100 customers away from the 2 winners.
The 2 winners would be customer numbers 43,000 and 43,001.
I never participate in these kinds of things because they never go my way!!
Well, later in the day an email came in saying they were less than 50 customers away from the winners.
Now, I need to say that the prize of over $500.00 in home school products was looking pretty good right about then.
So, I decided to give it whirl!!
I logged in, placed an order (I already knew what I wanted) confirmed it, hit send....and waited for my confirmation.
My confirmation email came and I was order #43002.!!

Boy, I tell you............. I was so close and yet so far!!

The taste of victory was sooooo close and yet, again I was the big loser!!!

O, well I guess it wasn't meant to be.
Maybe next time!!

What more can a person ask for

2008-06-13T06:54:00.000-07:00

The sun finally came out!!

We planted flowers!!

We went out for dinner!!

The lawn got mowed!!

God is Good!!

School's Out -- Almost

2008-06-12T07:12:00.001-07:00

We are almost done with school!!!!!!
1 week, 2 days, 34 minutes, and 12 seconds......but who's counting!
The girls and I are anxious to move on to other things.
It has been a good year with little struggle, just the normal,"Why do I need to learn this??"
Just in case you don't know...we homeschool!!!

This summer I plan on making new craft items for my Etsy store,
and of course get ready for the fall session of our homeschool co-op in September.

Life is good right now!!
Now if only the sun would shine. :)

Welder in the House

2008-06-06T08:03:00.000-07:00

2 1/2 years ago my husband, Allen, decided that he should switch jobs at the paper mill where he is employed.
He moved from the paper machines to the millwright program.
This also meant working straight days, no more shift work!!!!!
(I love it!!)

While he has been in the training program he has had several tests to take and has passed each one. Yesterday when he came home from work he announced that he was now a welder.

He passed the written and welding tests!!
Way to go, Babe!!

Here is a picture of some of his practice work.

Allen gave me and the girls a very simplified lesson in welding.
Who says homeschool has to be hard??!!
That was a painless science lesson if I ever did see one!

Now, what in the world do I do with these pieces of metal anyway???

Yard Work

2008-06-03T18:13:00.000-07:00

The weeds have taken over our backyard, so we decided it was time to fight and conquer!!

Allen decided to remove a small stump in the corner of the yard, after all it would be a simple job, right??

WRONG!!

He has been digging and whacking on the stump, and its many roots, for 3 days.

I am not sure if he is removing the stump or digging a moat.

I suppose one of these days the stump will be gone!!
The question is: "What do we do with the big hole???"
I guess a swimming pool would be nice!

All Washed Up

2008-06-03T17:58:00.000-07:00

I love the laundry soap we made, so when we ran out of liquid hand soap, I figured there must be an easy way to make it!!.
I did a search and this is the recipe I used.
I figured this cost me $.50 per batch. (I made a double batch)
Mine turned out a little thick (I think I over cooked it), so I have added more water to it over the past few days. It still comes out of the pump OK.
Play with it and make it the thickness you prefer.
Have fun!
PLEASE NOTE:
I am adding this on 6-11-08.
My soap came out really thick, almost a solid, although squishy.
I do not think the recipe calls for enough water.
I ended up emptying my jug of soap into a 5 gallon bucket and kept adding water until it was not slime. The water in the bucket while still warm looked just like thin soapy water.
After it was cool it was the normal consistency of liquid soap.
I ended up with 3 1/2 gallons of liquid soap!!!
I originally had made a double batch, so you might want to start out with a single, and add more water than the recipe calls for.
Good Luck!!!!

Memorial Weekend

2008-05-27T08:56:00.000-07:00

I hope you all had a great, safe weekend.
We spent Sunday at my parents house, and my brother and his family were there also.
We had a fun time talking, laughing and of course EATING!!

Monday, Allen and I headed to Portland to buy a BBQ for his father's day present and try on running/walking shoes. We found some great shoes for me, but not in the right size.
They did not have the ones he wanted to try, and they were out of the BBQ grills we wanted.
Even though we did not get what we needed we had a good day, and we ate at one of our favorite restaurants!!
All in all it was a good weekend!!

Thank Heaven for big strong husbands

2008-05-27T08:50:00.000-07:00

Well, we got the estimate to fix the car door and it was a little more than I wanted to spend!!
It was a whole lot less than the huge, gigantic number I had in my head, but it was still too much for me right now. Good 'ol hubby got online and started reading about door hinges and found out how to do it himself. So he went to the auto parts store, bought the part, came home and fixed my door. The door works perfectly now!!! The best part is...the part was only $5.00!!!!
I love it when you can save hundreds of dollars just by sweating a little. I mean...when your husband sweats a little!!

Why , Oh, Why???

2008-05-19T15:31:00.000-07:00

Ok, I am going to whine for a minute.
2 months ago my husband had kidney stones...and required a trip to the ER. $$$$
2 weeks ago our hot water heater/tank was leaking...and we had to replace it. $$$$
Today, my car door broke...and we will need to fix it!! $$$$

I hope that is all for a very long time!!

I would much rather spend $$$$ on, beads, scrapbooking items, new shoes, or even butter for goodness sake!!!!

Later!

Green Thumb

2008-05-13T21:19:00.000-07:00

With the cost of living rising so quickly, I have been trying to cut costs wherever I can so,

I decided to make my own laundry soap!!

I tell you, it was easy enough my 10 year old did it!!!!

The cost of this soap was dirt cheap compared to the name brand I have been buying.
It also is nice to know I am living a little green!!

The finished soap looks like it is supposed to, and it cleans great!!

The clothes both smell and feel clean!!

Great "green" soap for healthy living!!

A Veggie Tale

2008-05-09T14:08:00.000-07:00

We have done it!!
We planted a garden at my parent's house.
The girl's have actually loved working the dirt and planting the seeds.
They are diappointed that they will need to weed it!!
Although the prospect of fresh corn on the cob will inspire them, I am sure.

Some of the vegetables might be crowded, but, the important thing is, is that we have had fun doing it.

Momma always said...

2008-05-09T09:53:00.000-07:00

My mom keeps telling me I need to write a book, and I keep telling her she is funny!!
So in honor of my mom for mother's day...I have started a blog.
It is not quite a book, but at least it is my thoughts out there for the world to read!!

I will add more later.
I wouldn't want to overwhelm everyone at once!!!