Mark and I were able to do something this weekend we feel rather good about. His car was in desperate need of new spark plugs and wires. For a tune up from the garge it was going to cost us over $200. After reading through the repair manual we decided we could probably do it ourselves. Mark has done some on other cars but not this one and not in a long time.
We bought all the needed items on Saturday evening after he got out of work and then did the work Sunday afternoon. As most car work does, it took both of us working together. I spent a good portion of the time under the car reaching up to work with the wires and coils while Mark took care of the plugs themselves. They were really bad! Fortunately, the weather was in the mid to upper 30's so it wasn't terribly cold. It was rather rainy though and the car was wet so I did get a little dripped on as well as having the floor wet.
The important thing though is that it worked! And we are rather pleased with the money we saved and that we didn't have to call our friend from church to have him do it.
I just kept thinking about what would my customers say if they saw their AVON rep under a car with grease up to her elbows? But I was back to clean and presentable in time for the evening service at church.
I still have a ton of things needing my attention so I better get at them. I just had to let you know about our accomplishment this weekend.
Monday, January 30, 2006
Monday, January 23, 2006
Wow!
I can't believe it has been a whole week since I sat down to blog. I'm not quite sure where the week went. It just seems to be one thing after another. Between school, church, and other activities, we just seem to be constantly going except several times this weekend I had to "crash". My allergies are getting much more sensitive and sometimes I can't do much but sleep them off.
Last week, I was "tagged" by big brother, Nate. I'm assuming this mweans that I'm supposed to answer the same questions that he did. I acutally wrote these down so that I wouldn't forget any of them. Let me answer them now though:
List 4 jobs I've had:
Cashier (several times), customer service/purchasing agent, Lifeguard/swim instructor, substitute teacher.
List 4 movies I could watch over and over:
The Sound of Music (I already have Rachel hooked on this one too), Dirty Dancing, The Outsiders, and The Santa Clause Movies
List 4 books I could read over and over:
I don't have particular books, it's more of authors. I really liked Janette Oke and I did make it through the Left Behind Series but other than that don't have overwhelming favorites.
List 4 places I've lived:
Dublin, IN; Alliance, OH; Alpena, MI; and now Grand Rapids, MI
List 4 TV shows I watch:
Commander in Chief, Biggest Loser, Numb3rs, and WifeSwap
List 4 places I've been on vacation:
Florida (often), England (including Pooh Corner), Louisiana, and Canada
List 4 websites I visit daily:
woodtv.com; NASCAR.com (that's about it for daily, I have others that are occasionally)
List 4 favorite foods:
Ice cream, popcorn, steak, CHOCOLATE!
List 4 places I'd like to be right now:
Can't seem to narrow this one down. Even an hour at the hot tub gardens would be a nice change. I think this one is too dangerous to consider the possiblilities.
List 4 bloggers I'm tagging:
I can't because I only read 2 regularly and one of them is who tagged me. So Dad I guess that leaves you to be tagged.
That's it for me for now. Joshua and I left the house at 10:30 this morning and except for 10 minutes to put away perishables, we didn't get home till we pick up kids from school and got home about 3:45. So now I have all the stuff here at the house needing my attention.
Last week, I was "tagged" by big brother, Nate. I'm assuming this mweans that I'm supposed to answer the same questions that he did. I acutally wrote these down so that I wouldn't forget any of them. Let me answer them now though:
List 4 jobs I've had:
Cashier (several times), customer service/purchasing agent, Lifeguard/swim instructor, substitute teacher.
List 4 movies I could watch over and over:
The Sound of Music (I already have Rachel hooked on this one too), Dirty Dancing, The Outsiders, and The Santa Clause Movies
List 4 books I could read over and over:
I don't have particular books, it's more of authors. I really liked Janette Oke and I did make it through the Left Behind Series but other than that don't have overwhelming favorites.
List 4 places I've lived:
Dublin, IN; Alliance, OH; Alpena, MI; and now Grand Rapids, MI
List 4 TV shows I watch:
Commander in Chief, Biggest Loser, Numb3rs, and WifeSwap
List 4 places I've been on vacation:
Florida (often), England (including Pooh Corner), Louisiana, and Canada
List 4 websites I visit daily:
woodtv.com; NASCAR.com (that's about it for daily, I have others that are occasionally)
List 4 favorite foods:
Ice cream, popcorn, steak, CHOCOLATE!
List 4 places I'd like to be right now:
Can't seem to narrow this one down. Even an hour at the hot tub gardens would be a nice change. I think this one is too dangerous to consider the possiblilities.
List 4 bloggers I'm tagging:
I can't because I only read 2 regularly and one of them is who tagged me. So Dad I guess that leaves you to be tagged.
That's it for me for now. Joshua and I left the house at 10:30 this morning and except for 10 minutes to put away perishables, we didn't get home till we pick up kids from school and got home about 3:45. So now I have all the stuff here at the house needing my attention.
Monday, January 16, 2006
Posting
So much for the kids posting much. Hopefully, they will start sending more. They have both already learned some proper typing skills at school so I was hoping this would encourage using them more. I'm going to try to cut & paste a document of what we have been dealing with this weekend. We knew Buddy and his family from our church and have watched his deterioration. Being in charge of our church prayer chain, we stayed close by our computer after last Wednesday when it was obvious that he would be home soon. Let's see if I can get it to work:
“Buddy” Joseph Clemence Ellison, Jr.
October 13, 1965 - January 14, 2006
Buddy surfed the ultimate wave into the arms of the Lord he loves at 5:45PM on
January 14, 2006. He fought a long and courageous battle with brain cancer, surviving
13 ½ years by the grace and mercy of God.
Celia Jane Figueredo, Buddy’s mom, preceded him in death. Left to celebrate Buddy’s life is his wife, Ruth (Hopper), and two wonderful children, Zachary Joseph and Celia Naomi. Also surviving are Buddy’s loving family including his dad and step-mom, Joe and Deborah Ellison of Benson, North Carolina; his brother Jonny of Florida; his maternal grandmother, Lee Figueredo of Florida; many uncles, aunts, cousins, special in-laws and friends.
Buddy was born in Agana, Guam when his dad was serving in the U.S. Navy. When he was still a toddler the family returned to Florida where Buddy spent most of his childhood fishing and surfing. As a teen, Buddy’s family moved to Smithfield, North Carolina where his parents opened The Galley Sandwich Shop. Buddy’s claim to fame is the scrumptious Malibu Tuna Sandwich.
In April 1991, Buddy moved to Honolulu, Hawaii. On his second day in paradise, he met his future wife, Ruth (aka Ging). They were married on July 11, 1992 and just a month later, Buddy was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. By God’s miraculous power, Buddy survived four brain surgeries and various treatments. A 7 ½ year remission included the blessings of two children, Zach in 1994 and CeCe in 1995.
Buddy’s faith in God was strong during his battle with cancer. His illness allowed many opportunities to share Christ’s love and God’s gift of salvation with those he met.
Buddy has chosen to be cremated. A celebration of Buddy’s life will take place at North Park Baptist Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on January 21, 2006, at 11am with visitation
1 hour prior to the service. A memorial service and scattering of his ashes will also be held in Honolulu, Hawaii at a later date. Hawaiian/casual attire requested.
Well, everything came over except his picture which was taken during their last visit to Hawaii last summer. Ruth is from Hawaii and when she came to GR for college the same year Mark did, she had never even seen snow. The family was at church yesterday and plans for the meal after the service was getting started through the ladies at the church.
More later if I can. I'll also see if the kids will update you more. on other parts of our lives.
“Buddy” Joseph Clemence Ellison, Jr.
October 13, 1965 - January 14, 2006
Buddy surfed the ultimate wave into the arms of the Lord he loves at 5:45PM on
January 14, 2006. He fought a long and courageous battle with brain cancer, surviving
13 ½ years by the grace and mercy of God.
Celia Jane Figueredo, Buddy’s mom, preceded him in death. Left to celebrate Buddy’s life is his wife, Ruth (Hopper), and two wonderful children, Zachary Joseph and Celia Naomi. Also surviving are Buddy’s loving family including his dad and step-mom, Joe and Deborah Ellison of Benson, North Carolina; his brother Jonny of Florida; his maternal grandmother, Lee Figueredo of Florida; many uncles, aunts, cousins, special in-laws and friends.
Buddy was born in Agana, Guam when his dad was serving in the U.S. Navy. When he was still a toddler the family returned to Florida where Buddy spent most of his childhood fishing and surfing. As a teen, Buddy’s family moved to Smithfield, North Carolina where his parents opened The Galley Sandwich Shop. Buddy’s claim to fame is the scrumptious Malibu Tuna Sandwich.
In April 1991, Buddy moved to Honolulu, Hawaii. On his second day in paradise, he met his future wife, Ruth (aka Ging). They were married on July 11, 1992 and just a month later, Buddy was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. By God’s miraculous power, Buddy survived four brain surgeries and various treatments. A 7 ½ year remission included the blessings of two children, Zach in 1994 and CeCe in 1995.
Buddy’s faith in God was strong during his battle with cancer. His illness allowed many opportunities to share Christ’s love and God’s gift of salvation with those he met.
Buddy has chosen to be cremated. A celebration of Buddy’s life will take place at North Park Baptist Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on January 21, 2006, at 11am with visitation
1 hour prior to the service. A memorial service and scattering of his ashes will also be held in Honolulu, Hawaii at a later date. Hawaiian/casual attire requested.
Well, everything came over except his picture which was taken during their last visit to Hawaii last summer. Ruth is from Hawaii and when she came to GR for college the same year Mark did, she had never even seen snow. The family was at church yesterday and plans for the meal after the service was getting started through the ladies at the church.
More later if I can. I'll also see if the kids will update you more. on other parts of our lives.
Friday, January 13, 2006
ALL ABOUT ME
Hi, I am STEPHEN Waters. And I LOVE SPORTS. Espechily NASCAR. Speaking of NASCAR,
THE DAYTONA500 is comming soon. It's over and out, from MR. SPORTS.
THE DAYTONA500 is comming soon. It's over and out, from MR. SPORTS.
It's Me Again
Stephen has not been able to write. So today I asked mom to let me on, and she said ok. Stephen said it was his turn to do it. I do not have a lot to say so I will let him write.
Monday, January 09, 2006
It's The Kid's Turn!!!
We are still trying to get mom to let us (me and Stephen) to have our own blog. She says we can at least write in the family blog. Oh well. Well I get to write first about me.
I hate school. I play the clarinet (which was mom's). I cannot spell. Friday is the class spelling bee. The 2 best kids go to the school wide spelling bee. I have 2 best friends who have moved away. Sarah is still here to be my friend. Katie and Taylor are my friends at school. I do not have any boyfriends(even though everyone thinks so). I like my teacher. Every year I get a teacher gets pregnant or gets married. This year she is pregnant.
Well that it for now. Stephen will write tomorrow. Bye!
I hate school. I play the clarinet (which was mom's). I cannot spell. Friday is the class spelling bee. The 2 best kids go to the school wide spelling bee. I have 2 best friends who have moved away. Sarah is still here to be my friend. Katie and Taylor are my friends at school. I do not have any boyfriends(even though everyone thinks so). I like my teacher. Every year I get a teacher gets pregnant or gets married. This year she is pregnant.
Well that it for now. Stephen will write tomorrow. Bye!
Records
Have you heard about our weather records we have set recently? We went 15 days without registering even a single minute of sunshine! This tied the previous record. We have also gone 47 days with some form of measureable precipitation (rain or snow, some days both) each day! This record is way longer than the last one and is still going on! This has given us the distinction of being "The Cloudiest Place on Earth"! Oh yeah! I really could have lived without that label for my entire life! Fortunately, we actually saw some very strange yellow light (called sunshine) yesterday, at least briefly, not that it is back today though.
We had a rather busy weekend. Christmas is almost put away now. All that is left is a couple of shirts to get washed and I was waiting for the cups that were in the dishwasher. Now we can finish the last box. This also meant that the floors were able to be swept. We also got Rachel's picture's taken at Walmart. Everyone, except me, lined up for me to cut their hair. It was back to a normal schedule at church. (Teaching the 2-3 year olds, I can tell you they are struggling getting back into the routine.) And Stephen got to see a lot of the wild card games.
Stephen is starting to really get into football. It is somewhat of a crossover interest. He most likes the Washington Redskins. This is because Joe Gibbs is coaching there and owns his favorite NASCAR team at the same time, Tony Stewart. But I think it has been very good for him to learn more about football. That is what a lot of the boys at school play and he is better able to talk and participate more with them since he is learning the sport more.
Rachel spent her birthday money this weekend on the new American Girl movie "Felicity". We gave her the other one "Samantha" for her birthday. She really likes the stories and as long as they are the historical ones, we'll let her watch and read them. I joined the crowd that overwhelmed the American Girl company with emails when I found out about them being linked with Girls, Inc. with the "I Can" bracelet. I know my daughter is growing up but I don't need them educating her on homosexuality or abortion. I have inspected her last 2 catalogs that have come from them before letting her have it and the bracelet and all reference to "Girls, Inc." have been removed.
You might begin to see some different posts on here. Rachel & Stephen have asked if they could start their own blogs but Mark & I aren't too sure about that. Instead, we have suggested that they are more than welcome to start blogging here. This is the family site so it seemed a good place to start. We'll see how that goes.
We had a rather busy weekend. Christmas is almost put away now. All that is left is a couple of shirts to get washed and I was waiting for the cups that were in the dishwasher. Now we can finish the last box. This also meant that the floors were able to be swept. We also got Rachel's picture's taken at Walmart. Everyone, except me, lined up for me to cut their hair. It was back to a normal schedule at church. (Teaching the 2-3 year olds, I can tell you they are struggling getting back into the routine.) And Stephen got to see a lot of the wild card games.
Stephen is starting to really get into football. It is somewhat of a crossover interest. He most likes the Washington Redskins. This is because Joe Gibbs is coaching there and owns his favorite NASCAR team at the same time, Tony Stewart. But I think it has been very good for him to learn more about football. That is what a lot of the boys at school play and he is better able to talk and participate more with them since he is learning the sport more.
Rachel spent her birthday money this weekend on the new American Girl movie "Felicity". We gave her the other one "Samantha" for her birthday. She really likes the stories and as long as they are the historical ones, we'll let her watch and read them. I joined the crowd that overwhelmed the American Girl company with emails when I found out about them being linked with Girls, Inc. with the "I Can" bracelet. I know my daughter is growing up but I don't need them educating her on homosexuality or abortion. I have inspected her last 2 catalogs that have come from them before letting her have it and the bracelet and all reference to "Girls, Inc." have been removed.
You might begin to see some different posts on here. Rachel & Stephen have asked if they could start their own blogs but Mark & I aren't too sure about that. Instead, we have suggested that they are more than welcome to start blogging here. This is the family site so it seemed a good place to start. We'll see how that goes.
Friday, January 06, 2006
So it's still Christmas...
it is around our house too! I started taking stuff down yesterday and have made progress today but still am not finished. Besides, I don't think I want to say too much about New Year's. Just know that we were home with Mark's mom and 2 of his nephews here.
Getting back into routine this week has been good but I am missing that day lost on Monday. I'm ready for the weekend but keep thinking it must only be Thursday. Kids returned to school Tuesday as well as Mark going back to work. He took vacation days to have some extra time over New Year's weekend.
Yesterday was really busy. Rachel's class went to the IMAX to see Lewis & Clark and I was a chaperone. I took all the kids to school then went to a friend's house to drop off Joshua. Then it was back to the school and off on a field trip. We got back to the school at 11 and I had to do lunch duty in Stephen's class at 11:40. I didn't feel like running to get Joshua during that time so I left him till after lunch duty. Even then he was having so much fun he didn't want to come home. We were here just a little over an hour before I had to go pick up the kids from school.
That's going to have to be it for now. I have to figure out what's for dinner and I have children lining up for a turn on the computer.
Getting back into routine this week has been good but I am missing that day lost on Monday. I'm ready for the weekend but keep thinking it must only be Thursday. Kids returned to school Tuesday as well as Mark going back to work. He took vacation days to have some extra time over New Year's weekend.
Yesterday was really busy. Rachel's class went to the IMAX to see Lewis & Clark and I was a chaperone. I took all the kids to school then went to a friend's house to drop off Joshua. Then it was back to the school and off on a field trip. We got back to the school at 11 and I had to do lunch duty in Stephen's class at 11:40. I didn't feel like running to get Joshua during that time so I left him till after lunch duty. Even then he was having so much fun he didn't want to come home. We were here just a little over an hour before I had to go pick up the kids from school.
That's going to have to be it for now. I have to figure out what's for dinner and I have children lining up for a turn on the computer.
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