Yeah, it's about 3.5 hours away from us... so also a special trip :P I'm glad that we decided to stay over two nights, and to not drive on aquarium day! It would have ruined it, I think, thinking about that drive back again.

I like penguins, too! The African penguins weren't on exhibit because it was too cold for them.. but yeah, I can't imagine you'd get much excitement over most of them. There are three different touch tanks, though! ... I didn't touch any, I've had enough of that :P

I'm just - well - I don't do church stuff? Like so a funeral service is all prayers and songs and stuff like that, so while I CAN sit through it, and I WILL - especially if it is for family - I choose not to if I don't have to, if that makes sense? LIke I feel like I SHOULD have for this neighbor but I knew NO ONE except him and I barely knew his new wife, it was pretty much all her family and their church friends there. I knew no one. So i said my goodbyes to him, Ryan and Nathan both don't like ... bodies ... so they didn't go up to him. The poor woman was sick herself after being in the hospital with him, she got sick with pneumonia and just got released and barely got to the funeral home before the service started, missed all of the viewing time. They waited for her before they started anything thankfully. I only found this out because I spoke with her son/daughter when I realized I could not find her. They went straight to the service after bringing her (in a wheelchair) to him in the viewing room, so I didn't get to say anything to her, but I gave her daughter a sympathy card from us and asked her to let her know we had been there. Shane did NOT make it. He ended up getting another load instead of being able to come home early. Which, is good, because he NEEDED the load. But I know he will be sad about missing the viewing/funeral.

Oooh penguins. I like penguins. And being able to watch feeding time is awesome! They are more active then, any animal is! LOL I hate when I go to the zoo or somewhere like that and its so hot that the animals are all hiding in the shade/inside and you don't get to see them. But I don't like to go when its cold either. I have no idea how active they are then....because I don't want to be active!! :P What was in the touch tanks? When I went to seaworld in highschool I got to pet a penguin, it was awesome!

The guy I've been talking to called me today, to talk about what we can do tomorrow, then ended up coming over and we drove to Ollies and then Home Depot to check on prices for new grass carpeting for the dog pen (a BIG one is over $130 sheeeeesh) - he came up with the idea of placing a big sturdy tarp under the carpets I currently have to keep the dog out of the mud. I wonder how well that will work. But $40 for a tarp is a lot less than $130-150 for a big carpet! Maybe I can do the new carpet at tax time. Then we went to IHOP for dinner. He also bought tickets to go see Moana 2 tomorrow at 2pm, AND told me I can get popcorn, snacks/drinks whatever I want when we go. I'm going to feel very guilty this guy is spending all this money :/

Anyway, I was pricing grass carpeting because of Daisy. She keeps pulling the edges up of the small carpets I bought. Belle doesn't do that. But then both of them get in the MUD. And Daisy's been digging in it. Ugh. So my carpets are all muddy. I also think I am going to have to move the dog pen and completely block the back door with it. Belle discovered how to get out of the smaller pen bit on Christmas morning and has escaped 2x since then, if I don't lock her into the big pen (the big pen is sturdier, steel poles/chain link fencing type of pen with a gate, the smaller pen section is make-shift, a puppy training fence, braced up by rebar poles and bungee cords :P She discovered she can push the rebar pole/fence bit to the side (she's strong) and escape the pen. And I don't want to have to go outside every single time to close the gate of the big pen. So. My choice is back on the runner line for her, or move the pen to block the door so the back door leads directly into the big pen and remove the small pen part.

I also don't do bodies, but I've never regretted not going up front either. I know some people do... I think death is just a really personal thing?

Running errands together sounds nice :P Good luck with the tarp! Maybe Shane and Anna can help with the grass carpet, since it's mostly because of their dog?

Yeaaaaaah I wish. They aren't paying me back right now as it is. Like they agreed to pay a set amount per month and then two month ago (thanksgiving) were like, Oh, we had a bad income issue, and owe money and can we pay you double next month? Then last month (christmas) they were like, oh well we were buying these christmas gifts and I was off work for half this week and i'll be off work next week, can we just start paying you again in January? They did at least give me $100 (two weeks) of dog sitting money on Dec 20th. They still owe me for like 2-3 weeks of that too tho. sigh I am too nice about it I guess. BUT I mean, like, how you tell your kid NO give me my money, when they might need to use their money for groceries/eating and gas for their car? (ok they probably DON'T since I know what kind of crap they buy for themselves all the time instead of paying bills and if they didn't do that they'd have grocery money AND be able to pay me - BUT thats what my mom brain tells me)

I did tell him they HAVE to start paying me back in Jan because they just DO! I need that $ back. We will see what happens. I did plan to have them help me move the dog cage, but if they come this afternnoon while I'm out and about that won't happen. I just hope me and Nathan can move it on our own. Or else it will have to wait til next weekend. Its very cold this weekend anyway and I don't want to go do it, but NEED to so I can stop going outside every time hahaha And I'd prefer to move it before I get the puppy back for its next week/two of puppy sitting

Ugh. Yeah, that would be annoying.

At least you can consider it helping them out then? :(

Speaking of money.. I'm going on a no-buy (aside from needs!) until March 1st. No fast food, no extra little stuff that I like and is cute from the store while there, no candy or snacks (unless we actually eat everything we have!).

Yeah. And I "helped" them out by buying a box of household supplies as a christmas gift too :P I did it for Katie and Wes too. I decided I was going to start doing that. I will still get some regular gifts, but I liked the idea of "adult" gifts of household supplies. One less thing they need to buy themselves, for a few weeks/month (depends on how long stuff lasts and how much I get eh?) I'm not sure how excited Shane and Anna were about it (they seemed happy enough but ... you know?) Katie said Wes would love it, and he did. Although they did comment that they wouldn't need the laundry soap for a while because they'd just bought a water filtration system that came with free supplies of stuff like laundry soap and bath stuff, supposedly good for the filtration system? Who knows LOL I was like, well thats ok, now you just don't have to buy more for a LONGER time! (Shane and Annas box (storage box) had 2 smaller laundry soap bags, dawn dish soap, sponges, 2 hand soaps, 2 sanitizers, 2 lysol wipes containers, toilet bowl blue things (for the toilet tank), cleaning spray for the toilet and for counters, trash bags, and umm I can't remember what else. - oh! Toilet paper, paper towels) - for them I was also trying to get things they could take along in the truck if they wanted (sanitizer, lysol wipes, bag of laundry soap) (Katie and Wes's box had a box of laundry powder, dishwasher soap pods, lysol wipes, toilet bowl cleaner and blue things, I think hand soap and trash bags, toilet paper, paper towels - they got a bit less as I'd bought them a bit more of other types of gifts)

Ooh good luck with that. Its so hard. Like I meant not to get anything not on the list today but I picked up valentines cakes hahaha they had chocolate and strawberry ones (little debbies). AND they had valentines gingerbread cookies. So I grabbed a box of those too! (Usually the gingerbread cookies are ONLY out at Christmas! I had bought 2 boxes then, but they're all gone. So now I have valentines ones!)

I think that's a good gift! But I'd probably be a bit put off if it wasn't the stuff I usually used, you know? Like, I don't use powder, because it doesn't really work in our machine, etc. Dawn is always good, though! :P

it IS hard! But it's a good way to save some money.. which i definitely need to do. And also to use up a bunch of what we have here (which ALSO needs to happen!). And anything I'm really avoiding using for some reason, it's time to donate it to someone who will (or trash it, depending on what it is!). So it'l really be threefold. Though I do have uhhhh.. 6 boxes of Christmas tree cakes, so I'll be good there for a while :P

Well for the most part, I knew what Shane and Anna used. And I had Katie text me pictures of what they use. So most of the stuff WAS the brand they use. For example - I couldn't find the blue trash bags in the brand Katie and Wes used, but I did get blue generic bags instead LOL :)

Hahah yay for christmas tree cakes. I bought one box of the chocolate ones when I bought TWO boxes of the christmas gingerbread cookies.

Nathan got a box of snacks instead of household things (he got a milk crate) - I got him all sorts of stuff I know he'd eat - like nuts, trail mix, pringles cans, mixed snack bags of golfish crackers/cheezits pacakge, slim jims and beef jerky, and a mixed package of cookies (oreos, chips ahoy etc), more microwave popcorn, and some glass bottle sodas too. Probably more stuff than that I don't remember it all I got more popcorn mostly because I'd bought him a popcorn seasoning set as a christmas gift LOL

Oh yeah, see, if you actually cared, that's great then!

My mom would have like.. gone to the dollar store or something and just bought stuff we'd never end up using (not that we don't use some cheap stuff!), but. Yeah. You know what I mean. I hope :P

Ooooh see, I LOVE the snack crate idea! That's what Alex's aunt brenda got everyone, snacks! And it was great, because it was like.. beef jerky for half the adults, because it's too expensive to buy. I got the expensive(ish) Tonys Chocolonely bar I like, in a bunch of different flavors, which was fun! I LOVE love love the snack crate idea.. and I think I might do that next year, especially for El. It's hard with these teenagers.. and they'll be 20 next Christmas :/

Yeah! That was my biggest reason. Like I just don't know what to get half the time. Especially Nathan Shane and even Anna. I can get Katie and Wes themed Jack Skellington stuff, but its also nice to get OTHER things if I can.

Yeah I would like a snack crate myself LOL Beef jerky is STUPID expensive and I love it. So I rarely get it. I do usually get some Ghirardelli's chocolates from the kids - usually the caramel kind, which I like, but I LOVE the raspberry filling ones. Ferro Rochers (or however that is spelled) are also good to get. I got a pack of those for Katie and Anna too. Wes got a dark chocolate bar and some sweet tart ropes...and Shane got a bag of Resees. I tried to get everyone candy they'd like in their stocking. I didn't know what Anna liked tho. So she got what Katie did LOL

I didn't wrap the household items, but I lined the box with tissue paper (since it was a clear storage box) so they couldn't see in. And I did wrap Nathans snacks, - because he lives here and if he went in my closet he would have seen all the snacks LOL I seriously THOUGHT about wrapping the household items. I might next time, but I might just do the tissue paper again.

Everyone can always use new towels, right? LOL. You could just use a towel (or hand towels!) as like.. giant tissue paper for the top?!

YES it is STUPID expensive! But I like it, too haha. Maybe 2025 will be the year of gift baskets? :P

If there's not a lot of stuff I like to wrap it all but like.. ugh. :P To make it seem like more, you know? Though, when they're full adults.. forget that. They can have uh.. a little bit :P

Today while I was looking for my old planner (to track my no-buy, hopefully!), I found a little watercolor painting kit.. and so I decided to do it. I follow this lady (Andrea Nelson Art) and I decided to go and find a jellyfish tutorial and try it. She makes it look so easy, and her catchphrase is "You can do this!" and so.. here I go.

I did the background and now I'm waiting for it to dry LOL. But.. I may be able to do this?! So maybe this should also be the year of.. using my stuff, instead of waiting until I think I'll be good enough or for the perfect project?!

LOL there you go yes!! Use your paint stuff and do something you find fun! Who cares about perfect, its the imperfections that make things great. My grandma used to watch bob ross and paint. I liked watching her!

I did think about the towels thing, because Katie has all mismatched stuff and I was like, oooh I could throw some towels, hand towels and washcloths....and I also thought, oooh I could toss in holiday towels, pot holders etc....but I just didn't this year. Maybe next year. And...I ended up with more than I planned, so there was plenty to unwrap anyway so its good I didn't wrap the household stuff. We sat there watching Nathan unwrap his snacks last LOL

I have been doing exercise videos. I started them last year, but not doing them regularly but (SO FAR) this year I've done it every day (like thats huge, its only been 4 days LOL) I want to keep doing it every day. There is a 5min stretch one, and then I pick a 10-15 minute "walking workout" to do after. I will have to see if I can continue, especially once classes start and I'm busier again.

I don't know if I find it fun or not?! I've never done it LOL. But watercolor looks so easy.. I think I picked this up three or four years ago and then it got put on my shelf!

Hey, four days is still a big thing! I don't know if I'm calling it a new years resolution but.. yeah, I want to try things, I think? And enjoy my stuff?!

Stretching is so gooooood. Maybe I should start stretching again LOL...

Hahah I'm only 47 but the videos I found, are called Fabulous 50s. I like them. You might too if you want easy to do stuff. I do not exert myself as much as the lady in the video, but I still feel it. And I figure if I KEEP doing it, sooner or later I'll be able to do it with more exerting. :P I figure if I'm moving, its good for me!

I did water colors in one of my college classes, about teaching art to kids. It was interesting. I didn't like how the colors ran a bit on the cheap canvases we used tho. But the picture still turned out ok. And with kids I'd probably be using paper not canvases (even cheap ones!) if I did water colors. We mostly use kid friendly regular paint (tempura?). We ordered some back in like, September but it hasn't come in yet. We have brown, white, blue and black paint left right now :/

EDIT: 1217 Just finished all my regular quests. Still need to do Drills and Battle. Got 116 NY Tokens today. And last night I realized the parfaits and cookies were edible too, not just wearables - so. Ugh. I bought them to feed Kayano and tomorrow I'll go back to buying old books. I am ALMOST done buying Pre2010 books...one more to finish getting enough of.

They're supposed to run! haha. That's the point :P But you can make them run and work in different ways.

I painted a hippo that is.. recognizably a hippo, at least! And I did the background and first part of some jellyfish?

it is good for you! No matter what you're doing, moving is good for you!

Just finished battle. Will have to wait and do drills later - because i fed Kayano the NY stuff and because its almost time to leave for the movie

Yeah I know they're supposed to run, but I guess I just don't like that so much? :P LOL I am always particular about my coloring. When I color. I don't like lines blending. I use markers and stay in my lines and I'm picky. I think thats why I love my coloring app on my phone because its so precise LOL

Ooh a hippo too! I want to see when you're done.

See ya later!

Have fun at the movies!

I'm painting :P And doing quests haha,. And helping Iz go through her clothes.

She's doing a drawer or something and then doing a craft or having a snack and then doing another one. It's actually working pretty well?!

I don't do bodies, either. I feel that funerals are for those left behind so if I say my personal good-bye to the person then I don't have to stay for the funeral. shrug

Kat, I think you should stand your ground about the money repayment.Not because of Shane but because of Anna. If you don't stand your ground she'll feel that she can take advantage of you whenever she wants. I had to do this with my youngest. I was paying him to do chores around the house that I can't do any longer (like laundry or vacuuming.) He got lazy and still expected the money. I stood my ground and he now does the chores before he gets any of the money. Ok, now I'm going to stop putting my nose in your family issues. :P

I really like the idea of a snack or household products box as a gift. My sons would LOVE boxes full of snacks and my daughters would love the cleaning supplies if for no other reason then they wouldn't have to buy it themselves. I think I'm going to use that next time I need to get gifts. :D

Yeah, I get what you're saying. Because they already have done that with her dad, from what I've found out. He helped them get the house they had out in Texas, and he lets her use his credit card. And I guess he doesn't make them repay him. He apparently threatens to when he's mad tho. eyeroll I am not sure he really NEEDS them to pay them back, not like I do. And I think THEY need to pay it back to be responsible. They are completely and totally irresponsible with money :(

Yay for Iz! Whatever way works for her. Me, I'd have to go through all the drawers at once, because I just would not go back to another one if I stopped hahaha! I did that trick of putting everything on hangers, and turning the hangers around, then at the end of the year, whatever is still backwards, you get rid of. I did keep one or two things that I didn't wear but that was because they were event specific type items (like a dress for a wedding/funeral etc or my swimsuits, because who wants to buy a new swimsuit if you have one that fits, but you just didn't get to wear it one summer?)

Nathan probably needs to go thru his clothes, tho at this point, most of it probably fits and he just has a lot :P I know I bought him new jeans like 2x in one year, and he can probably squeeze into the smaller size but be more comfortable in the bigger size (he likes his pants a bit baggy, not fall off baggy, but loose).

I think it mostly works because I'm like "OK, time to work again!" LOL. We're being a team :P

I need to go through mine too, though I really just did not too long ago... but things don't fit nicely in the drawers?! Maybe I need to fold a different way, because there's really not a ton of stuff :/

How are you feeling ?