Craigslist

Today I'm thankful for Craigslist.

I LOVE CRAIGSLIST!

It brings much joy and happiness to me.  It's one of the best internet tools.  If you don't know what Craigslist is, you must be living under a rock.

I just found a nightstand a few weeks ago thanks to this site.  We also found our temporary replacement TV on there.  We found our wonderful new home on Craigslist.  In fact, that's how we found the last apartment we were in.  I've found garage sales too.

Craigslist is so great, Weird Al even wrote a song about it

Craigslist was started by Craig Newman in 1995 in the San Fransisco area and started to expand in 2000.
Source

I'm thankful for Craigslist because it's helped me find really great items for dirt cheap.

I'm thankful for Craigslist because it helped us find a suitable home within our price range.

If you love Craigslist, as much or more than I do, you should check out SearchTempest.com.

It's a site that helps you search through more than one Craigslist, Ebay, and Amazon.  Yeah, AWESOME.

What's your favorite thing that you've ever found on Craisglist?

First Thankful of November

'Tis the beginning of the season of being thankful.  Last year I did a series of Thankful Posts and quite enjoyed it.  I decided to repeat the practice since it worked out so well.

Today I'm REALLY thankful for leftover Halloween Candy.

Can I get an AMEN?

We received a few trick-r-treaters.  By the way, when did it become okay to let middle-schoolers skip around from house to house asking for candy with the puppy-dog eyes like the little munchkins they're trying to imitate?  A few of them decided to test their luck and grab handfuls or one or two on their way out.  Regardless, we still ended up with a fine amount of leftovers.  I'm grateful because now they're all mine.  And a little bit Ty's.  But mostly mine.  I'm very generous in our marriage.

What candy do you usually buy for Halloween?
I think it can go without saying (even though I'm gonna go ahead and do it anyway) that we get to munch on what wasn't taken, so you want to get things that you will eat.  Unless you're just mean and get the itty-bitty yucky candies.

Do You Know What Month It Is?

October.  Yes, you're all very smart.  It's also Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  GO PINK!

But how many of you know that it's also Domestic Violence Awareness Month?

I'll admit I hadn't realized it until an e-friend of mine wrote a little bit about her experience.  It made me realize (1) how lucky I am to have never experienced this and (2) how my heart truly goes out to those who have.  I don't want to downgrade the importance of Breast Cancer research or demote those who are suffering because of this disease (or the suffering of the family and friends close to them).  However, how many opportunities do we get to help RIGHT NOW?  There's a site that I go to that I get coupon updates and such from.  Last week, they made a post about doing something for those who have experienced domestic violence.  Basically, a group of women in the Tri-cities, who were looking for a way to give back, contacted the Domestic Violence Services of Benton & Franklin Counties.  On October 16th from 10AM - 1PM at the Albertson's in Richland (on Lee Blvd.) they will be collecting a number of items to fill buckets with.  

It's important to recognize that when these women leave their homes, they leave with little to nothing and need EVERYTHING.  Here's the list given in the email from the post.

"Things they are looking for donations for:

Bathroom cleaners
Windex
Ajax
Comet
Soft Scrub
Dishwashing soap
Bath soap
Toilet bowl cleaner
Rubber gloves
Sponges
Paper towels
Toilet paper.

Additional needs include:  furniture polish, carpet cleaning supplies, laundry soap, bleach, fabric softener, and personal care products for women and children.  Each bucket contains at least 10 products and they have already purchased 50 buckets to fill. So let’s all come and donate so we can fill all 50 of these buckets!"

I'm not going to try and guilt trip any of you into helping with this because that's not what I'm about and frankly, I shouldn't have to.  However, I would like to ask anyone who can help to please do so.  There are a few of you in the Tri-cities who are close by and it won't take much to come here and offer even just a little bit.  I know there's a good amount of you in Moses Lake, Othello, and other towns within driving distance.  Maybe make a trip up here for the day, drop off your items, and then go off and enjoy some time at the mall or going out to eat at a restaurant you don't typically enjoy in your area.

Maybe it's the combination of my friend's recent sharing of her experience and the post from the coupon blog, but I feel very strongly about this cause and helping where I can.  I hope many of you will read this post and the other and feel there is something you can give.

Halloween Movie List

I have this thing.  I watch movies in preparation for holidays.  If I don't, the celebration simply doesn't feel complete.  These movies get me excited and somewhat giddy.  I love the anticipation it creates.  Also, it keeps me entertained.  I like this.  : )

 

For the most part these movies are always the same each year, but a few newbies can be thrown in there to shake things up a bit.  When creating the list, I actually hit a little bit of a wall at times.  A LOT of movies produced for Halloween are rated R.  Apparently, most people, in the movie concocting business, feel that in order to make a movie appropriately scary it must be full to the brim of gruesome details, foul language, and even varying nudity.  I like being a bit freaked-out-of-my-jammies scared at times, but I also have standards that I don't feel are worth pushing past just for entertainment's sake.  Not gonna do it.  And no manner of movie is gonna make me.  So there.

So without further ado, here is my PG-13 and below Halloween Movie List:

The Ring (Netflix)

The Ring 2 (Netflix)

Hocus Pocus (Own)

Edward Scissorhands (Borrow from Ma & Pa Robbins)

Spaced Invaders (Buying)

The Burbs (Netflix Instant)

Ghostbusters (Own)

Ghostbusters 2 (Own)

Nightmare before Christmas (Own)

Casper (Netflix)

The Witches (Own)

Beetlejuice (Netflix Instant)

The Sixth Sense (Netflix Instant)

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow [Made for TV movie] (Netflix)

The Others (Netflix)

What Lies Beneath (Netflix)

The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (Netflix Instant)

Addams Family (Netflix)

Addams Family Values (Netflix)

Clue (Own)

Ernest Scared Stupid (Netflix)

Labyrinth (Own)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Own)

The Mummy (Own)

The Mummy Returns (Own)

Goonies (Own)

The Covenant (Own)

Ghost Rider (Own)

Private Eyes (Own)

The Skeleton Key (Own)

What do you think?  What others do you suggest?

For the record I don't really count The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown a movie.  It's an episode.  It's only 25 minutes long.  It's bound to be shown on ABC, per annual tradition.  I'm not worried.

 As you can see, I've made sure to locate each movie.  Luckily, we own most of these.  Also, the great amount of Netflix Instant movies make me giddy.  Amazingly, people get awfully greedy when it comes to movies during the Halloween season.  My goal is to get all of the regular Netflix movies finished earlier on, so I won't have the "Very Long Wait" sitting next to the movie title.  I've had that problem quite a bit in previous years with Hocus Pocus.  But my mommy bought it for me for Christmas, so I'm solid on that one.  A Halloween movie for Christmas?  Is that blasphemous?  Meh, whatevs.

Moving Day!

Sometimes, I come up with cockamamie ideas.  Like moving.  Who does that not even a year from the last time they moved?!  We do, that's who.  Finding a place was easy enough, but transitioning between two places is a whole other matter in and of itself.  After we found this wonderful new home, which is one side of an "A" duplex in Richland, I went to work and began packing up anything that didn't require imminent use.  As my luck would have it, my hips and low back had flared up only a few weeks before, making packing and relocating our home extremely painful.  However, I have some pretty amazing maternal figures in my life.  First, my mommy came over and helped me get some boxes filled.  Since we signed the lease in the middle of the month we were free to move in at any time.  We took advantage of this as much as possible and took boxes over before the "BIG" day.  The day after, Ty's momma also gave me some much needed packing support.  Again, packing took place and boxes were transported.  Ty's parents were going to be in Provo to support his brother with his music, despite my efforts to remind them that Ty is their favorite.  Because they wouldn't be available when we moved the large and heavy stuff, they offered to help us, the weekend before, move anything we could fit in their trailer and truck-bed.  Ty's brother and his family made a surprise visit and came to lend a hand...or two.  And a couple of arms.  We so appreciate it all!  Also, it appears that packing (or whatever it was that I did) helps hip pain because by that Sunday I actually felt 100% better.  Yay!

It took us a little while, but we finally decided to make the big move day the last Friday of the month.  We let our family and our ward's Elders Quorum know and proceeded to make plans.  My mom and dad would arrive with the trailer at 5:00 PM and the Elders Quorum at 5:30.  Throughout the week we packed and took more things over to the new place.  I took one day to unpack the kitchen and I'm so glad I did.  When we officially moved in, at least that was done.  Friday came and Ty was able to get half the day off and we took a few car loads of stuff over.  My mommcita called me to let me know that they would probably be running about an hour behind.  A flush of anxiety came over me.  I was worried our Elders Quorum would be standing around for half an hour with nothing to do.  They, essentially, worked out what they needed to came to the rescue of their favorite (okay, only) daughter and were here (I mean there) a little after 5:00.  To pass the time, until the ward members came, we began packing the trailer with what we were able.  Five-thirty came and went, and before you knew it, it was 6:00 and no sign of the Elders Quorum.  The aforementioned anxiety was quickly returning, bringing panic along with it.  I called our ward's missionaries, but unfortunately for us they had some appointments already set up.  Ty called the Elders Quorum Pres., only to get his voicemail.  He called the bishop to get the number of the guy in charge of the sign-up list.  Thankfully, we got ahold of the bishop, but not sign-up list guy.  More anxiety and panic.  We were getting to a point where we didn't know how we were going to be able to pack up the trailer and then go unload it all in the same night.  Then, out of Nowheresville, the bishop shows up!  And he brought back up.

Things started to look up and progress from there.  Once we got everything in the trailer, we made our way to our new residence.  The bishop had company and one of the guys he had rounded up needed to get back.  However, he said that he would try to get in touch with someone from our new ward.  By the time we got all set up and ready to unload, the Elders Quorum Pres. from our new ward, our new missionaries, and another member from our new ward came to join in the madness.  Even the bishop came, despite his company.  What an amazing man!  The unpacking went swiftly and without a hitch.  Previous to all of us going insane, Ty and I procured donuts and milk for all willing participants.  The missionaries seemed the most interested.  Even after all of that, Ty and I still needed to put together our bed so we could sleep somewhere.  Luckily, that didn't take long and neither did us falling into unconsciousness.

Thought we were done, didn't you?  Oh no.  Saturday, Ty and I still needed to go back to the apartment to gather a couple more car loads of stuff that we didn't have time or space to get the night before.  We were so exhausted and ready to be done, but I couldn't give up yet and we started to unpack our office books.  It is now all pretty.  :)  Monday, I spent a long 7 hours white-glove cleaning the old apartment.  UGH!!  Today, we'll go through with the landlord and officially be done with the old apartment.

I'm Jennifer Robbins and this is my moving story.  Thank You.

The Stories I Could Tell

Holy Lil' Smokies!  Did ya miss me?  I've missed you.

So much has happened since our crazy reunion events.  Seriously, I could write a book about all the stuff that's happen, but I'll just have to settle for a blog post.  The things I could tell you!

I could tell you about the free tickets we got from Ty's work to go to the Tri-cities Dust Devils baseball game.  How I wasn't all that excited.  Baseball is for the birds.  Maybe, it's my ADD talking, but I get so bored and can't figure out what's really going on.  Regardless we went, got a free meal, watched a bit of the game, and I pined for popcorn.  The aroma was coming from all sides and taunting me.  I have no willpower when it comes to butter.

I could tell you about how I left my cute hubby for a few days and went to my mom and pop's to visit and help my brother and sister-in-law, Steven and Jenny, pack up before moving.  How we went to the Grant Co. Fair and saw animals,

 

I just noticed that kid in the back.  I don't know what he is doing.  We have no association with this child.

 

My niece, Kamrie, with her goat that she sold @ fair.

saw a llama spit on somebody,

one of my nieces and one of my nephews milked a goat (I will leave out the visual.  You are welcome.), ate yummy food, and watched my niece, Sammy, fearlessly, get thrown into the air.

 She got so excited and I'm pretty sure the kid who was helping her achieve maximum air had just as much fun seeing how far she would go and that she was all giggles.
 I could go into great detail about the Chocolate covered Strawberry Kabobs we saw fit to devour within seconds of receiving.  Somebody out there is going to make millions with that.  BEST TREAT EVER.  There are no pictures for there was no time.  Remember what I said about the devouring?

I could tell you about how I again left the cute husband for a few days and spent some time with my sister-in-law and kids while my brother was still working before being able to move with them.  (Phew!  I need to learn how to shorten sentences, instead of making them run on and on forever and the end barely in sight.)
How we went to the zoo,

What?!  How'd that get here?!

which ended with us leaving to take little Jakers to the ER after he fell on his head and got an ouchie.

Luckily, they glued it instead of giving him stitches.  I kept thinking the doctor reminded me of someone, but I couldn't figure out who it was.  Then it hit me.  Joe Zee from Elle Magazine, also seen on MTV's The City.  I wonder what kind of look the doctor would have given me if I told him that.

I could also tell you about how we took the kids on a ferry ride the next day.

How we ate at a really yummy place called the "Grub Hut".  Because with a name like that, how could you not?

My sister-in-law got the Hawaiian 5-0, while I played it safe with a regular cheeseburger.  You can never go wrong with a classic.

How adorable the kids are when they are all sleeping in their carseats at the same time.

How gorgeous the scenery is in Seattle and I may have to convince cute husband to someday move there.

I could tell you how my other sister-in-law, Danielle, had a whopping 10 lbs. 2 oz. baby boy they named Beckham Campbell.  How we got to see him when he was only 8 or 9 hours old.

I could tell you about how I finally took out the S'more set I had sitting in its box for years, and never did anything with, and put it to good use.  How I'm so excited to have this new/old toy.

I could tell you about how our TV went broke-dead a few months ago and the place we took it to couldn't find the piece that needed to be replaced because they don't make this particular TV anymore.  How I had had it with watching movies on our laptop and we bought a TV we found on craigslist for $35.

How my cute husband, Ty, is a genius man and decided to keep the broke-dead TV just in case we were able to find the piece we needed, even though I was fully prepared to purchase a lovely new TV.  Then, out of nowhere, he ends up finding the piece online and fixes the TV himself, saving us hundreds of the money stuff we like so much.

I could tell you all about that stuff.

Instead I'm going to tell you about how we MOVED!

Our lease had run up and we were continuing on a month-to-month basis.  Though we truly loved where we were (TWO bathrooms, lovely painted walls, close to a million different grocery stores, wonderful ward), we still felt the loss of a few things.  Including our dearly missed couch that WOULD NOT fit through the door and was kindly being stowed away in my parents garage until further notice.  I decided to hit the Craigslist to see what I could find.  As luck would have it, a place in Richland, close to where Ty works, was soon to be available.  Many things about this place were enticing.  A nicely sized backyard, a finished basement for storage, Central Heating & Air (a luxury we have never enjoyed as a married couple), a kitchen to rival the one I was currently squeezing into.  There were a few cons to it, just like with anything else.  Probably the biggest thing being that we had to down-size to one little bathroom.  We decided to overlook it and were thrilled when we found out that we would be moving in.  The actual moving in is a story all on its own that I'll save for another post.  For now, here's a few pictures of my living room and kitchen.

 

 

I know.  You love what I've done with the place, right?

Okay seriously.  We've only been here for a few days and our progress is only as fast as when Ty is home to help me lift the big stuff.  Last night he did manage to hook up the TV so we could watch Chuck and Castle.  Where would I be with out him?  (Ty, not Chuck and/or Castle.)  I also was able to unload all of the books in the office.

They are now organized just the way I want them.  I like that part of moving.  Having a fresh start.  I'm excited to get that with everywhere else in the house.  Until then, we won't be having any wild and crazy parties.