No really... I had a BLAST!

I know it won't sound very fun to many, but Saturday I had the chance to help clean out my in-laws' garage. Actually, it didn't sound very fun to me at first either. The little event was the brain child of Jimmy and Marla, I believe (let me know if I'm wrong), as a gift to the parents for Mother's Day, Father's Day, their anniversary and birthdays. I'm always into service instead of presents so I thought it was great idea.... except for the part where his parents have been storing "memories" and "necessary items" for the last 18 years. I wish I had some before pictures! I knew we had our work cut out for us! Joe and I arrived a little late and were AMAZED at how much Jimmy and Jake had accomplished. I remember thinking "this may be possible after all!" Jimmy was our go-to guy. He had a vision of what he wanted to accomplish and also made sure we weren't throwing anything away we shouldn't. Jake helped convince Jimmy that some things just had to go (actually.... he wanted to toss everything, hehe). Throw Joe into the mix with his natural "pot stirring" abilities and we had the recipe for GOOD TIMES. I laughed the whole day from the "Jim Jr." comments (because Jimmy wouldn't let things go) to the jokes about all of "Aunt Lucy's" stuff (did we ever find out who she was?). It was a wonderful day of service and family. Marla stopped by a couple of times to visit and check our progress. She was perma-babysitter for the day and crucial to our progress. It's SO much easier to get things done when you aren't worried about little ones finding dead rodents or cutting themselves on the endless sea of tools and raw sheet metal. And we missed Natalie, but school first! She had a rough day of idiotic instructors. (Who makes a group assignment on Saturday--due Monday--without assigning groups? Honestly?)

Anyway, Saturday turned out to be super enjoyable. It was hard work (my body shutdown Saturday night and didn't start working until this morning), but we are pleased with the results! Eventually Joe's mom just might be able to park her car in the garage! It's only been 18 years, right? So what's a few more months, hehe.

From the back. That is a picture of hope... that someday a car might be parked in here!

One of the treasures we took away was a freezer from the 1960s. It was so bad you had to put weights on the top to keep the lid down. We expect to see their electric bill decrease dramatically!

From this view all you used to see was stuff. Wanted to get to the back door? Forget about it! Now there is not only a path, we could have a picnic in here.... well, maybe not a picnic (hantavirus and all), but you get the idea.

This 20ft trailer is FULL of stuff from the garage. Unloading it will be another day's project. Until then, no peeking Jim!!! What goes on the trailer, stays on the trailer!

Publishing Your Blog in a Book

I promised some of the girls a link to my friend's blog who is AMAZING about publishing online. I love that she tries it out and then I am blessed by the fruits of her labor! Anyway, here is her post http://marcelacamille.blogspot.com/2009/07/officially-obsessed-with-blurb-books.html regarding publishing your blog in a physical book. The actual site is blurb.com, but I like her post because you get to see the final product as well as get some great tips from her. Thanks Daisy!!!

FOR SALE: 2003 Ford Mustang GT

2003 Ford Mustang GT

Price: $10,500 (NADA retail is $11,500)

Mileage: 61,784+

Body Style: Coupe

Exterior Color: Black

Interior Color: Charcoal

Transmission: Manual

Drive Type: 5-speed

Fuel: Regular Gas

Gas Mileage: 15/City & 23/Hwy MPG

Doors: 2

We are happy to offer this EXCELLENT FORD MUSTANG GT. This is a NON-SMOKER with LOW, LOW MILES and would make a GREAT CAR for a GREAT VALUE. It's perfect for crusing the canyons this fall!!! This Mustang has all the right stuff including: V-8 ENGINE, LEATHER SEATS, 6-DISC CD CHANGER, AM/FM RADIO, MACH STEREO SYSTEM, BACK FOLDING SEATS, and MUCH MORE. We are the only owners of this Mustang and have performed regular maintenance (oil changes, tire rotations, etc). ZERO PROBLEMS. Call with questions. Please leave a message if I don't answer. 801.678.7505.

Normal wear and tear should be anticipated. Sale is "AS-IS" with no warranty.

Pics of my Josser

After spending so much time working in the yard, I decided Joss and I needed some time to enjoy the fruits of our labor (he's my little helper when we're outside).

I LOVE this close up of him. He is so handsome!!!

But my favorite, by far, is this one of he and Joe. My two boys. Gotta love 'em!

One more down... so many more to go!

Yard work is never ending. There always seems more to be done than time in a year. Add big projects to weekly yard work and it is no wonder our grass has a tendency to get a little long! But today I finished another project and finally snapped some photos of everything I've been working on. Today was the park strip in front of the house. The "green waste" facility at our city dump has become my new best friend (and Joe's truck my new love). I have had such a blast hauling stuff around and completing some minor landscape projects on my own. As mush as I hate the never ending to-do list of yard work, there is great satisfaction in looking out your window and seeing the results of all your hard labor. Instant gratification. I love it. So here are some pics. I decided to include some before an afters as well.

BEFORE
So last year our yard looked like this. Lots of trenches waiting for me to back fill with sprinkler pipe and dirt.

Even after everything was laid and buried, I still found myself in an eternal battle against weed infestations and a sinking RV pad! Before shoveling 2.5 truckloads of dirt into the truck and hauling it to the dump, most all non-grass areas looked like this.



AFTER
To fix the RV pad situation, I built a little retaining wall and filled it with dirt and mulch. Those who know me well know that one of my favorite tools is a level (it goes with the whole annul retentiveness personality disorder). Anyway, each stone is leveled on the Y-axis and X-axis. I had a really great time (once I figured out the process) and was so satisfied to see the final result. Mind you, it isn't the Great Wall of China, but I am pleased.

Then I moved over the park strip in from of the house. Here again is the before...

And the after...

Next I need to create/prep flower beds--design the layout, dig out any over grown grass, and move lots of dirt and mulch. Good thing we have the truck! And then on to the backyard dirt pile. Like I said, never ending. Maybe I should make some time to hook up the sprinkler valves to the timer. My beeper is telling me it is time to manually change the water. Oh dear.

Sisters are the best!

I love my sister. We didn't always get along, but the older I get the more I value her (and the more I wish I wasn't so mean growing up). I am SO glad we are friends now!!! Yesterday I was super sick. I started throwing up around 2am and kept throwing up every couple of hours until about 11am or noon. Needless to say I didn't each much the whole day. I just couldn't bring myself to put anything in my stomach. Around dinner time I could tell I needed to eat but the only thing that sounded good was Grandma's Potato Soup. I never mastered this one (because we all know I'm not a cook) and I wasn't about to ask Joe (because his idea of cooking is pouring a bowl of cereal), so I called Suzanne. Not only was she totally cool with cooking dinner for me, but she went out of her way to bring other things she knows I can eat when I get sick like this. She also called on her way over to see if I needed anything from the Pharmacy. Can I just say, I LOVE this girl!!! The soup was wonderful... like love in a bowl. And it was very easy on my tummy. While I was slowly eating it last night, I just kept thinking about how grateful I am for my sister. Grateful for her willingness to help me out, for her love and friendship, and for the fact that we live so close right now. Anyway... thanks Suzanne! (And thanks for making enough that I can have leftovers today!!) You are the best!

Debbie's Job Update

Well your prayers are working! A few posts ago I mentioned that a manager wanted to hire me but had to get approval from upper management. Well, the approval passed phase 1. (Don't worry, I didn't know this was a multi-phase approval either). Anyway, I should find out if it passed phase 2 next week. Again with the waiting! I think someone is trying to teach me patience! And how does this fit with our plans for Maryland, you ask? It doesn't. Somewhere along the blog train I mentioned the conflict... how I felt good about both, so which is right? I just moving forward in life as if both ARE right. So I'm still praying and hoping for Maryland while I continue pursuing this lead in Utah. We'll see what happens. I figure I'll just do what I feel prompted to do and the Lord will make sure it all works out. Well, that is my plan anyway. Hope it's a good one. Time will tell.

To answer your questions...

I don't have the final word yet (It's killing me waiting!) but Joe has a somewhat firm offer for a job in Baltimore, MD. We should find out sometime this week (hopefully... because I'd really like to get back to planning my life). Hence the need to shed a few moving pounds. I'll let you know when we know. And if anyone wants to throw us into your prayers, I wouldn't mind at all! Love ya!

FREE Sale!!!

Yeppers, you heard it... FREE FREE FREE-ninety-nine. I have a whole bunch of stuff I was going to take to the D.I., but some of it is really nice and I figured I'd rather give it to a friend. If you want pics of any of the following, just send me a note [debbie@burnsfam.org].

- Ice cream maker
- 2 sets of matching dishes...seasonal (unopened... call me for details on the pattern)
- 2 different desks... they are large and heavy. 1 of them is L shaped.
- 1 credenza (matches one of the desks)
- Precious Moments wedding album
- Misc. frames and photo books
- 2 blue men's suits (they are Joe size... well one is skinny Joe size and the other is medium Joe size)
- 1 brown mole skin woman's skirt suit (I think it's size 12)
- 1 red and black woman's pant suit
- 1 "fancy" top and skirt combo... celery green (used once as a bridesmaid... size 12, i think)
- 1 prom type skirt (Erin... I though maybe one of the young women in your ward might like this)
- A couple of Sunday dresses
- 1 pair of men's sketchers (dressier... though not Sunday shoes) size 12

Seriously, I'm pretty much trying to get rid of everything I have. Feel free to stop by and do some window shopping. I am willing to part with almost anything (although I can't give away the bigger pieces for free... but we can make a deal).

Items for Sale
- 8pc Bedroom set $1200 o.b.o
- Anything else you think you might want of mine... make me an offer, hehe

8-Piece Bedroom Set Must Go!!!

Weathered Cherry Wood 8 Piece Bedroom Set - $1200 o.b.o.

Beautiful weathered cherry bedroom set, originally purchased for over $2500. Set includes: King/Cal King Headboard, Foot board, Rails, 2 Nightstands, Dresser, Mirror, and Chest. The bed fits a king OR California king mattress (mattress, box springs, and lamps NOT included). A few of the pieces have minor scratches or dents from moving. We are downsizing and just don't have a place for this set anymore. Call me with questions or to see the furniture. 801-678-7505. You must be able to pick up the set if purchased. (I can help transport for friends or family).

Need your help... What's new?

So many of you know I've been looking for a job most of the summer. (A very frustrating process). It seems I've been close a few times but nothing has worked out in my favor. As I was speaking with a friend yesterday she reminded me that when one door closes another opens. I responded that I must be in the wrong hallway because I can't see a single open door. But yesterday one may have opened just a little bit. The manager at a company called and wants to hire me for a vacant position... downside is that they are in a hiring freeze (who isn't?) and they are waiting for an exception approval from upper management. They should find out next week whether or not the exception will be granted (and even then I'll still have to go through the whole hiring process). So, what can you do you ask? I could really use your prayers on my behalf. I need a job and I need it soon. Thanks for tuning in. Love ya!