Bits & Pieces

We have been having rain non-stop for the last 24 hours. It is a bit odd to have rain here in the middle of January but I guess I welcome it more than snow. The trouble is that it is making a mess, the streets and sidewalks are like little ponds now and the snow is turning into slush. And it is supposed to get colder this evening, which probably means ice. Maybe I would prefer more snow right about now above this rain.

We haven't seen sun in close to three weeks either. Seriously. The skies have stayed gray and overcast and it is really damping my spirits. My energy tank has hit the low mark and I just need some sun to perk me up. So far the forecasts are not calling for sun this coming week...that would mean a whole month without one day of sun. Can you say depressing?

One thing that did perk me up is that my aunt hosted a pajama day yesterday. While I didn't actually wear pajamas to her house (I had to make a stop at the grocery store and really didn't want to embarrass myself, although now that I think about it, I see people wearing pajamas in the store all the time around here so maybe no one would have thought anything) several of my relatives indeed did show up in pajamas. It was such a nice way to break out of the funk of winter and enjoy some adult conversation. This was the first time in, while, I think the first time since I became a parent that I was away from the kids for five hours and had a chance to sit down and enjoy talking. It was exactly what I needed to feel re-humanized. Food, games, and laughter perks up any one's spirit!

I was just going through my SwagBucks account and realized that since October I have earned $95 in Amazon cards. I spent some on Christmas presents and bought Joe's birthday gift with some, but still have $45 credit in my account. This search engine is seriously helping me buy gifts on the cheap. Don't know about SwagBucks? All you do is sign up and download their search engine. Instead of searching for something through Google or your regular search engine start doing your searches through SwagBucks. Every once in awhile you will win a SwagBuck or two when you type in your search (I typically win at least one SwagBuck a day, just doing about three searches a day). On Friday it is even easier to win SwagBucks and I have won up to five bucks just doing one search. When you accumulate enough "bucks" you can turn them in for gift cards. There are a whole list of gift cards but I am most interested in the Amazon cards (45 swagbucks for a $5 card). There is also Target, Home Depot, Sears, etc. I figure just by doing your regular searches you can earn about 45 "bucks" a month, which equals out to one $5 gift certificate, or $60 in Amazon credit a year. BUT, if you have friends sign up under you, you get a swagbuck every time they win a swagbuck, up to their first 100 points. So that is a wonderful way to get more credit. Click on the link below to learn more:


Both older kids slept in late this morning, but for some reason both woke up with a wet bed. So I will be doing loads of bedding along with the regular pile of laundry that I always work on. I decided to stay home from church today because of the weather and will instead be working on getting the house clean. I am thinking about rearranging the furniture in the living room today, although it will be tricky as our living room is tiny and so far the only way I have found to arrange it is the way it is right now. I'm looking at other options to make it more clutter free!

What have you been up to lately?