Tuttles Attack California’s Great America

Posted on August 25, 2012 by merriell

Tuttles Attack California’s Great America

Jeremy and Chris on the Vortex

I thought getting the kids up early to hit the park when they opened would be easy that morning, but NO!

We had spent most of the summer sleeping in, the teenage boy of course was the worst, having breakfast around noon everyday.  But I thought the morning of going to Great America would be exciting enough for them to spring right out of bed.  But our two kids were snoozing away when we tried to get them ready at 8:00am.  I guess the day before in San Francisco wore us all out, but we were determined to have a great day.  After checking out of the hotel, finding an IHOP to have breakfast, we were off to the Park.

Would you like regular parking for $5 or preferred parking for $8?  Let the upgrades begin!

We were there on a Tuesday, and it was early and very quiet. The regular parking was about 10 feet from preferred.  Uhh, regular please you idiot.  Once you pay a fortune to get in, ($230 for 2 adults and 2 kids ) there are signs everywhere about getting a fast pass for the rides.  We asked about them, but luckily the girl was honest with us and said today they didn’t expect it to be very busy and we wouldn’t need them.  Thank you honest ticket taker, nice!  Once you are in the park they stop you and force you to let them take your picture.  They are hoping at the end of the day you will stop and purchase it on the way out. No thanks, we have our own camera. I have noticed just about all theme parks are doing this.  We didn’t fall for that one either.

Finally we are free to have fun!  Well wait, after finding the nearest bathroom,  then we can jump on those rides.

Immediately Chris, Jeremy and I wanted to ride a big scary roller coaster.  Hailey wanted nothing to do with it, so we took turns. Smart girl! On this ride you are hanging while you ride it. After I rode Flight Deck, I felt nauseous, had a headache and my neck was sore.  I have become too old for this stuff!  What a disappointment because I used to love riding roller coasters.

Want to watch  us brave this ride? here it is!

We found a few smaller rides for Hailey, as I avoided all “spinny” rides.  Bleh, I can’t take those rides either.

You know what else is really cool about Great America?

It has a water park right inside the theme park!  They provide dressing rooms and lockers so it is easy to change into your swimsuit and get wet.   It is a bigger and better water park then the one in my hometown.  They have a giant wading pool, a separate wave pool, several slides, and a fairly large lagoon floating type ride.  They also have a couple of large water play structures for the kids.  We had so much fun breaking up the hot day of walking by using the water park.  It was nice to cool off and take a break, and lay in the sun.  I’m sorry to say we forgot to take any pictures of video of the water park.

By this time we were starving and grabbed the first edible thing we could find, crappy pizza. Oh well, there wasn’t much choice in the area we were in. Down the hatch!

After a few more rides, we came across the section that is similar to a carnival at the fair.  Hailey’s favorite thing in the world is basketball, and they had several basketball games around. I’d say she played about 3  free throw games and she won 2 different basketballs.

another ball for Hailey!

Chris found one of those giant arcade games that was Deal or No Deal.  It was pretty exciting and felt like we were on the game show.  After hitting “no deal” all the way through the game,  he won the biggest amount possible!  We were jumping up and down hollering like we had won the lottery!  Wish I would have recorded that, highlight of the afternoon for us adults.

All day we tried to encourage Hailey to try bigger rides than she ever has before.  We finally came across The Tiki Twirl that was a step up for her. After 1 minute of video the ride gets going, but it is cute to hear Hailey laugh with delight.

 

This ride turned out to be the favorite of the day for Hailey and I.  It  didn’t make me sick, yet still a little scarry!

Here are Jeremy and  Chris on the Vortex,  I took a pass on this one

This next video Chris took as we rode a gondola, skyline type ride, it shows a good overview of the park and some of the fun rides.

 

Even though the park closed at 6:00pm on this weekday that we went, it was just fine, we felt like we got to ride everything we wanted to.  It was not that crowded thank heaven!

hanging with Snoopy

rare sighting of Jeremy’ teeth in a photo

end of a fun day

So that was our attack on California’s Great America

Our last fling of the summer. It got a little expensive, but what doesn’t these days? We felt like it was well worth it.  Where did your family go this summer? Leave me a comment below.

 

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Family Getaway to San Francisco and Great America

Posted on August 23, 2012 by merriell

Family Getaway to San Francisco and Great America

We needed to pick our son from his grandparents house which was 4 hours in the direction of the Bay Area.  So why not make it a fun family trip?

We got an early start, shooting for 6:00am, wound up being 7:00am.  We Drove almost 4 hours to Forrestville, very pretty area with lots of yineyards.  After picking up Jeremy, we went straight to the Golden Gate Bridge, coming from the North.  It was a beautiful sunny day with no fog. We had a great view!  There were so many people walking and riding their bikes. I would love to do that one day. The toll now is $6.00. Wow, I remember when it was $2.00.

Oh what to do in San Francisco! There are so many choices.  I also have been there many many times, and have done about all the touristy type things.  We only had the afternoon, so we parked our car (expensive parking lot, $20 just for about 3 hours!) near Fisherman’s Warf.  We were very hungry, so we got some clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl of course! So yummy. The kids threw some bread at the seagulls hanging around.  They are not shy.

Years ago we did the Alcatraz Tour, so this time we took a boat cruise around the bay. It was fun and educational as we had headphones on  giving us a guided tour.  Hailey thought that felt too much like school and wasn’t right since it was still summer.  The boat took us underneath the Golden Gate Bridge.  That was beautiful!  Such a different angle.  Hailey especially enjoyed it because of a certain movie she likes. Have  you seen the latest Planet of the Apes movie, Rise of the Planet of the Apes?  At the end of the movie the apes, gorillas and orangutans are escaping from the city and headed toward the forest. The orangutans are swinging underneath the bridge with their long arms. Pretty cool to see it in person!  After cruising under  the bridge the tour took  us near Angel Island, around Alcatraz and back to Fisherman’s Warf.  Even though it was really windy, it was very enjoyable.

 

What to do next? We walked through Peir 39 which was very crowded of course, but that is half the fun!  We got some ice cream and made our way over to the seals.  The seals are funny to watch as they fight for their spot on the docks.

 

We returned to our car and made our way over to Lombard Street, you know the world’s curviest street?  That was an adventure due to all the crowds!  You have to wait in line for quite a while in your car, going straight uphill.  Would’ve been very difficult in a stick shift!  My hubby had never done it before, watch this short clip of us waiting in line

If you have never been there before, you can watch us right now going down the whole street.  Kinda funny, enjoy!

 

 

After Lombard St we headed on over to Chinatown.

This was actually something I had never done before. Jeremy has been there several times with his mom and knew exactly where to park to go check it out. We actually found a parking spot on the curb! Just a simple parking meter, yes! Chinatown is such a mixed bag of things. It felt kind of dirty and scummy, and crowded. But we walked up and down several blocks, and I found quite a few stores that caught my eye and drew me in. I was surprised by how many things I wanted to actually buy! Such an array of STUFF! Jeremy was looking for a certain kind of pocket knife, he collects them. Hailey found a wooden samurai sword she HAD to have. She was funny swinging it around all over the place. I loved the Asian art, jewelry, trinkets, fabrics and paper.

By this time it was 6:00pm and we were tired, hungry and sunburned. It was so much cooler in San Francisco than where we live that I didn’t notice how sunburned we were getting. Shame on me, I know better. We got in our car and needed to drive about another 45 minutes south to our hotel.  As we left San Fran we drove down through the Embarcadero, under the Bay Bridge, and next to the AT&T baseball park. Nice facility. Kinda harry finding the right freeway on ramp, but we managed to do it.

So our goal was to get to Santa Clara,  eat and find a hotel close to California’s Great America.  We found an Applebee’s along the way for dinner.  I was kinda dissapointed with it.  This place did not have the same fun feel as our Applebee’s at home, and the food was not as good.  Oh well, we were fed.

Now to find a hotel.

I almost always plan way in advance and reserve a hotel. This trip was kind of spur of the moment, and I assumed there would be tons of hotels right across the street from the park. NOT! Mistake. I will never go to a hotel without reservations and directions again.

So in Santa Clara surrounding the Great America park is pretty much all giant office buildings. Including YaHoo headquarters. There was one hotel across the street, we tried it and the room would be $150. Forget it, we were only going to be in it for 12 hours! Marriott’s was booked full, so we had to mess around with smart phones and call around for another hotel. We had to drive about 15 minutes away for a cheaper but clean room. But it still cost us $120 dollars for a tiny room, and Hailey was very disappointed it did not have a pool!  I will never travel again without figuring all this out ahead of time. Lesson learned.

We hit the pillows at 10:00pm, very excitied about the next day!  Stay tuned to my next post to hear about

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Lake Fun With the Tuttles

Posted on August 23, 2012 by merriell

Lake Fun With the Tuttles

We had the best time at the Lake the other day.  It was our last trip to Wiskeytown Lake before school started, and we went in the evening.  It was still blazing hot outside, over 100 degrees, perfect!  We piled in our giant Ford van with our 2 dogs, Max and Cleo.  When you bring your dogs the options are limited on where you can go.  We always try to find a spot by the dam.  Luckily there was one spot left.  Lugging our small ice chest, 2 chairs and towels, and our dogs pulling us and tugging on the leashes, we plopped our things down and hopped right in the water.

Our dogs get insanely excited- they can hardly stand it. So funny! Max is a freak, crying and yelping constantly, swimming in circles snapping at the water with his mouth.  watch him go nuts here

Cleo loves to swim way out with us, she can go pretty far. She has to make sure we are ok out there.

swim girl!

Max on the other hand has  work to do,  staying close to shore.  I got some great video of what he does.  He does this over and over and over- he finds a good size rock underwater, puts his head underwater to grab it with his mouth, then promptly takes it up to shore and proudly puts it in a pile.  Are we supposed to take these home in his mind? So funny. We counted the rocks on this trip and he had collected 12 big rocks.  I don’t think the poor guy knows how to relax.  He has to be working!   Watch him right here

 

You know what the most fun about this trip was?  Using our new Go Pro Camera.  It can go underwater!  So amazing and easy to use.  After I was sitting in the water in my beach chair, the kids stole it from me and starting putting it at the bottom of the lake where they were sitting (about 9 feet down).

 

 

 

Jeremy and Hailey, along with Dad  had the greatest time taking funny pics and videos underwater!  It is amazing how clear these pics and videos turned out.

Jeremy, being a fish himself, loved chasing fish down at the bottom.

My hubby kept finding aluminum cans and beer bottles down there.  Stupid lazy people who litter!  Hailey loves the water too as long as she has her goggles on.  Sometimes they wear fins on their feet.  Chris and Jeremy go way way out in the water with fins and a snorkle.

My family is a school of fish! They are constantly in the water. check this out here

Have you ever noticed that food tastes incredibly better outside?                      We had tacos the night before and had a lot of left overs.  Perfect!  I warmed them up at home, wrapped them in foil and when we were done cooling off and started to get tired, we went to shore for a break and some warm tacos.  Yummy!  No cooking or dishes, quite nice.

One more silly video that makes me laugh

 

We were able to see the sun go down over the water.  Very nice, it had been a while since I paid attention to a sunset.  Sure makes you appreciate God and nature.  I sat there wondering why we didn’t go out to the lake every night.  It was so relaxing and quiet, if you can tune out our dog Max going nuts over his rocks!  What a nut job he is. We should have named him Rockhead.

I love living in this area where there is so much outdoor recreation just minutes from our home. I feel very blessed to live here.  We need to get out more often!

I Hope you enjoyed Lake Fun With the Tuttles!

Leave a comment and tell me about your summer fun below

 

 

 

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The End of Summer Blues Has Come

Posted on August 2, 2012 by merriell

The End of Summer Blues Has Come

What do you do at your house for the end of summer blues?

We have a couple of short weeks left of my favorite season of the year, SUMMER.  That is when I usually start to panic and think about all the things our family has not done yet before the summer is over.   When it is August 1st I get sad.  Especially now that the kids start around August 21st.  Remember the good old days when we didn’t go back to prison (I mean school) until after Labor Day?  I miss that.  There is just something about summer that makes me happy. I know most of it is the warm weather. Well where I live it is HOT weather, but I still love it. I love being outside, I love the sun, though I am careful with the sunscreen, don’t worry.  Summer means a nice long break from the routine of school, for ME! THE MOM! A break from dragging kids out of bed and trying to get them to school on time. A nice break from meetings, performances, conferences, reports, and most of all homework! I absolutely look forward to summer as much as the kids do.

June is the greatest, it is just the beginning of the season. It still is nice outside, not quite too hot yet.  It doesn’t get dark until after 9:00pm.  Yeah!  We have plenty of time to go on trips, go to the lake, catch a summer movie, bar-b-que, visit family, maybe a reunion, eat lots of fresh fruit (watermelon in particular, oh and strawberries, and cherries). hiking, and camping (if we can get Dad in the mood).

I don’t know about your house, but we get right into the routine of staying up late and sleeping in the next day.  Not good, but very fun.

We have many birthdays in June in our family. Lots of excuses to get together, eat good food and have cake and ice cream.

When July rolls around we are getting ready for the 4th.  This year we made the most of it, watching the Anderson fireworks in the nearby town on the 3rd, and then again on the 4th.  After a few years of parking kind of far away from the fireworks, (boring!)  this year we threw our bikes in the van, parked at the mall,  and rode our bikes down to the fireworks site about 9.45pm.  As soon as the show was over, we just rode on out of the traffic and craziness and were home by 10:45pm.  EASY!

The absolute best part about summer is swimming.

Whether it is in a swimming pool, at a water park, at the lake, in a creek or just plain getting wet when you wash your car, there is nothing more refreshing during July. This year we did not get passes to the water park like last year.  We joined a gym with an outdoor pool and an indoor/outdoor pool and have used them quit a bit.  We were lucky enough to have friends invite us wakeboarding. That was a total blast.  At my age though my body really made me pay for it the next day.  So sore! But the kids and the hubby totally got into it.  The whole next week I had to listen to why we need a boat. July also brings our annual church picnic at the lake. I always look forward to that. And it brings  summer camps for my daughter.  Got to keep that one busy!

 

MOVIES

We also seem to go to the movie theater a lot more during the summer.  Boy has it gotten expensive.  I try to hold out for our favorite movies to make it to the dollar theater before we go see one, but we were just too impatient for  a lot of them this year. Big action movies like The Avengers  we definitely  splurged on at the real theater.  It really irks me when we shell out the big bucks for a movie, especially if it is 3-D and it wasn’t very good. (ahem, MIB III.  I am a huge fan of the first MIB movie, so I wanted to see that one.)  We always wish we would have waited to get it from Red Box.  If you have not discovered Red Box yet, you have got to try it out!  The other day we decided to try “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” at the dollar theater.  We were not at all interested in it when it was at the regular theater, but we were bored and it was the only movie worth trying at the time. It turned out to be  a pleasant surprise!!  We really enjoyed it. It was funny, and very heartwarming. I cried quite a bit by the end of it. It didn’t feel like just a chick flick to me or my husband. He liked it too. You just never know with movies.

So now it is August 1st.  Why do I feel so sad?  Summer is not over yet.  But there is so much we have not done yet.  I wanted to hike one of the waterfall trails around here, but haven’t gotten around to it.  It doesn’t look like we will be going camping, hubby is just not into it this year. Camping is so much work, but I think it is rewarding! We have not gone out of town.  I’m pushing for a quick trip to the bay area for Great America, or Discovery Kingdom 6 Flags.  That might make me feel better about this summer.  Two years ago we drove to Disneyland. That was the ultimate trip, but not in the cards this year.

I have wanted to start getting on a better sleeping routine.  You know slowly, I don’t want the kids to go into shock.  But if we don’t start now, it will be too late!  I started 2 days before the Olympics started.  So now it’s out the window because I can’t stop watching all the prime time coverage.  I love the Olympics! I can’t wait for track and field next week. So  I guess I should feel lucky that this summer had an extra bonus, the 2012 OLYMPICS.

So I must accept August.  We usually have the kids thoroughly clean their rooms, get rid of papers from last year,  get rid of clothes they have outgrown.  That usually spawns the I want new shoes, I want a new backpack, new clothes.  I better start looking at the Sunday Ads soon. But when we start school shopping, it feels like I have given in to summer being over.  SIGH.  I am just not in the mood yet.

So, as I start winding down this summer with my family, I am trying to remember all the things we have done together, like miniature golf,  and maybe try to squeeze in a few more outdoor adventures, like a hike.  I know summer will return next year, but I really do get the end of summer blues.  Leave me a comment and tell me about your summer!

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Review of Empower Network 15K Per Month Formula

Posted on July 27, 2012 by merriell

 Review of Empower Network 15K Per Month Formula

What am I talking about?  If you are already an Empower Network Affiliate and you have not upgraded to  the 15k Formula  yet, you need to read on and find out what is in it. If you have not joined Empower Network yet, also read on and find out what you are missing! Detailed lessons about starting your blog, facebook marketing, online and offline marketing strategies, this list goes on. I was blown away by it all, and by the time I was finished listening to the entire program, I was on my way bogging, placing ads, using article marketing robot, and really really excited!  Even after one lesson you are inspired to get going and begin the process.

Either David Wood and/or Dave Sharpe start each segment and guide you through, introducing each guest speaker and often adding their own wisdom at the end of each lesson.And what a line up of expert speakers they have rounded up!  They give very educational material out every time, so take notes!

There are 6 lessons  with an additional 3 bonus lessons

Each one is different and each one is extremely valuable. Most of the lessons are 2 to 3 hours long. I just cannot express how much information is here!

  • The first lesson is all about Compelling Content. Kris Darty talks about the 5 elements of good content. Next is Stephanie Daneke who describes how to put personality into your content. Tracey Walker speaks about h tags, keywords and ranking. She has had phenomenal success since joining Empower Network.
  • In the second lesson we learn about how to Syndicate. First we hear from Facebook group experts Toby and Layla Black as they explain their “Rock Star Marketing”. We hear next from Cynthia, “Social Cowgirl”. She discusses RSS feeds and automatic syndication. Nicole Cooper talks about branding yourself, Chris Rocheleau on social syndication strategies and using tribe pro, and one of my favorites was Tracey Walker on compelling content. She has had phenomenal success since joining Empower Network. We here from newcomer Lawrence Tam who has been making tons of money fast.
  • Lesson three presents us with John MRoz and ranking keywords, deep content and finding a niche. He also goes over using google keyword tool. Rob Fore is next with SERP, SEO quake, back links and article marketing.
  • Lesson four has Sophia Rashkin discussing paid advertising, conversion ratios, metric goals and tweaking your ads. James Soriano gives an in depth lesson on SOLO ADS. David Sharpe helps us learn about Facebook ads, and finally one of my favorites to listen to was Alex Zubarev. He felt so real and down to earth, even with his russian accent!
  • In Lesson five we have Ed Pryzbylski talking about offline strategies such as voice broadcasting. Then we were treated to Chris Cambell on direct mail marketing.
  • Lesson six is all about Advanced Leadership Strategies. It is very in depth and one of the longer of the series, over 3 and 1/2 hours of information.
  • Lesson seven has Chris Rochelleau with article marketing robot, directories, and SEO  Link Robot.
  • Lesson eight gives us Chuck Marshall on magazine ads. He talks about how he will use 2 paid cycles to test out each ad, and how he uses AWEBER .
  • Lesson nine is with David Wood on the Power of Positioning and consultative selling.

 

As you can see  Empower Network 15K per month Formula covers A LOT of topics. As a beginner watching all this, I was really surprised at how many different ways you can market online and offline. Which is a good thing because we all can’t be good at everything.  Some strategies appealed to me which do not involve phone calls.  On the other hand, some people might thrive with this.

While you listen to these lessons they also provide you with personal challenges from David Wood and David Sharpe, frequently at the end of some of the lessons.  I found  these very helpful in keeping my spirits up and keeping myself on track.

That is the big question. Obviously the Empower Network 15K  Per Month Formula is something that can help you with your business, whether you are already an affiliate of Empower Network or just investigating it.

watch this video, join my husband Chris Tuttle and I on our way to financial freedom!

 

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Empower Network is Like Back to the Future

Posted on July 22, 2012 by merriell

Empower Network is Like Back to the Future

What am I talking about you say?  Well if you think about it, Empower Network is just like Back to the Future movies.  You know you’ve seen them, and several times I’m sure.

Think about it, you have your genius doctor, Doc Emmet Brown.

Well Empower Network has its very own genius David Wood, but wait there’s more! We get a bonus genius by the name of David Sharpe!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then we have the main hero, Marty McFly.  We all want to be Marty McFly.  He is no quitter.  Even when he is stuck in the wrong century, he just goes for what he wants, to be back in good ‘ol 1985.

Marty has one distinct characteristic, he hates being called chicken.

That is what Empower Network is all about,

Don’t Be A Wussy!

You’ve got to be ALL IN and not be a wussy if you want to go for what you want. What is it we all want? To be an internet marketing sensation!  And it is totally possible when you are all in with Empower Network.

 

 

Do not let the Biff Tannen’s of the world stop you!  Tell them  to

“make like a tree and get outta here!”

I know I have come across some Biff Tannen’s in my own life.  But one has to learn to ignore them and do your own thing.

Once we become a marketing sensation, which takes no time at all with  Empower Network, we all want to drive our own Delorean.

 NICE!

 

 

So pop some popcorn, have yourself a Back to the Future  marathon, (remember, it is a trilogy!)  and compare these great movies to this great company, Empower Network.

GREAT SCOTT!

Don’t be a Wussy, and follow the geniuses  David Wood and Dave Sharpe. You can’t go wrong.

 

 

 

Stir up your inner Marty McFly and GO ALL IN.

 

 

 

So that my friend is how Empower Network is like Back to the Future. I highly encourage you to watch one more short video that will inspire you like nothing else can

check it out now

Because the clock tower is ticking!

 

 

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Empower Network 15K Formula is for Beginners Too!

Posted on July 19, 2012 by merriell

Empower Network 15K Formula is for Beginners Too!


This system is a must have for anyone, but was especially helpful to me, a total beginner.

Well worth the purchase, the 15K Formula is a wealth of information, presented by many different experts.  Each one covers a different marketing strategy and gives detailed instructions on how to do it.

You may recognize some of these BIG names in the internet marketing world.

David Wood and David Sharpe lead the way through each course of the Empower Network 15K Formula.  They feel like the big brothers coaching and encouraging you all the way through. Very inspiring to a newbie like me.

We hear from Facebook experts Toby and Layla Black, Nicole Cooper talks about branding yourself, Chris Rocheleau on social syndication strategies, and one of my favorites was Tracey Walker on compelling content.

Then we have Rob Fore talking about article marketing,  John Mroz on SEO strategies.

I really enjoyed Alex Zubarev and his Russian accent. He felt so real and down to earth. Jamie Soriano discusses SOLO ADS.  We were treated to Chris Cambell on direct mail marketing and Chuck Marshall on magazine ads.

As you can see this program covers A LOT and I haven’t even mentioned them all!

There are 6 lessons or courses, with an additional 3 bonus lessons.  Each one is different and each one is valuable.  And each one is 2 to 3 hours long. A wealth of information.

Here is what I have taken action on in 3 weeks after listening to ALL of Empower Network 15K Formula

Keep in mind, I am totally new to anything having to do with network marketing on the internet let alone using computers.

I have set up my blog, and I have posted several times. I learned how to use h tags and  I learned a few SEO strategies. I have set up many accounts, including twitter, a facebook group page, over 40 accounts through ONLYWIRE,  ping.fm., google analytics, RSS feed, used google external keyword tool, npros.

I have placed 2 facebook ads. My next goal is to purchase a list to place my Solo Ads, and join a tribe.

I have learned so much as a beginner!

And you know what? I am having fun too!

I recently quit my job to become a stay at home mom as you can read here.

I want to earn money while at home and what better way than through Empower Network!

I am on my way to earning 15K per month.   PER MONTH! who couldn’t use 15K a month?

 

YOU can join and learn too.  Even as a beginner.  Listen to this video and and see what it is all about, get excited and join Empower Network.  You can’t go wrong and will be really impressed with all it has to offer, including 100% COMMISSIONS! How crazy is that!

Take it from this beginner,

Empower Network 15K Formula

is the ultimate package of information you need, and You can get it all now!

 

JOIN NOW

 

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Sad Day at the Tuttle House, r.i.p. Felix

Posted on July 17, 2012 by merriell

We Love You Felix

Today was one of those days you know will eventually come, but hope it never does. Today our family had to put down our cat FELIX.

He was 12 years old, older than our youngest daughter. The last few months he slowly went downhill.  He lost a lot of weight and was just not himself.  He put up a good fight- it was not until today at the vet’s office that we found out he had Lukemia and was extremely  ill.  Our poor little guy had been suffering longer than we had realized.

Needless to say the kids are upset, but our 10 year old Hailey is devastated. They were buddies every night.  Felix would sneak in her room and sleep by her side or above her head.  She loved him with all her heart.

sound asleep

 

PALS

 

I never had to put a pet down when I was a child. We had to move away once and leave two dogs, but it does not compare to putting a pet down.  I can’t imagine what it feels like at 10 years old.

ODE TO FELIX

What a spunky cat he was.  Being  an indoor and outdoor cat, he brought us his share of “gifts”.  We live next to a field so you can imagine the surprises we received over the years. The most original was a baby jack rabbit, gently laid on our front door step.  One time I found a big rat on our guest bathroom floor.  EEEWWW. Unfortunately the hubby was not home for that one- yuck.  Many times he had lizzards and tiny snakes in his mouth or played with them in our living room.  He had his share of proud moments.

He also came home many times with battle scars.  His ears were all torn and scratched up.  I don’t think he took anyone’s guff.   I know he didn’t  take anything our big dogs tried to dish out. They were afraid of him! He let them know who was boss from day one.

showdown

 

Our female dog Cleo was fascinated with the cat- she constantly stared at him and watched his every move.  But one wrong move and look out!

 

My husband is a total cat person, and had a special playful relationship with Felix. He loved to spank him and get him all riled up. It annoyed me, but I guess  Felix liked it.  The last couple of years Felix wasn’t much into rough housing anymore.  When the moment actually came when Felix closed his eyes an was gone, that’s when the emotions came out for my hubby. In a way it was good to see how much he did care for him.

It’s All Part of Life

I feel bad for my little girl, but I know we will all get through this together. With love and support we can remember our favorite cat in so many ways.  We have a lot of pictures thank heavens. Like the time she gave him a mohawk.

DUDE!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have our memories, and some on film.

We will be OK.  And maybe a new little kitten

will brighten our house again,  bur first we need  to

give this time to heal.  May you rest in peace our sweet boy.

 We Will Always Love You Felix

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Yard sales, are They Worth Having? Here are My Tips

Posted on July 11, 2012 by merriell

Yard Sales, are They Worth Having?  Here are My Tips

 

Have you had successful yard sales, or  yards sales that were totally not worth it?  I’m here to tell you I have had both.

What prompts me to have one in the first place?  When my garage gets too full and messy.  Our house is on the small side, so the garage is our Catch All.  It’s a double garage, but we only can fit 1 car inside.  When that becomes a problem it’s YARD SALE TIME!  I usually get the itch when we have a big item to get rid of.  Who wants to hall it to the dump, oh excuse me “transfer station”, and have to pay to get rid of it?  For instance,  my son turned 16 and has grown so fast in the last 2 years it was time to stop putting off getting him a new bed.  He towers over my husband and was still in a single captains style bed, you know with the drawers underneath?  Sorry Jeremy, we waited much too long.  We of course buy him all the new stuff first before getting rid of the old stuff, that is just our way.  So the old bed parts and mattress sat in the garage for 2 months.  sigh.  If I trip over a skateboard or empty water bottle one more time in that garage I’m gonna….

I usually start gathering stuff from every room in the house and pile it up out there until I can’t stand it anymore, then finally plan WHEN this yard sale is going to happen.

FIRST: how will people know about this fabulous sale?

I am lucky because our street is not too far from a very busy street and signs usually do the trick all by themselves.  I make sure I place them at both ends  of the street to get people from all directions, and put up an occasional arrow to help them get there.

Your signs gotta look good people.

I had Hailey color  the yard sale sign for me!

You got to be able to read them at the very least!! A hand written sign in regular pen is a joke.  You have wasted your time. You gotta write in very BOLD lettering to get attention!  Bright colors are very helpful too.  If you have a very specific style, its a good idea to keep all the signs the same so the boneheads (I’m sorry, customers) will figure it out when they find Your sale.  I’ve had people make comments that they were confused because there were so many yard sales in the neighborhood they couldn’t figure out whose was whose.  (Does it mater? you found one didn’t ya)

I don’t usually put ads in the newspaper (you know, that black and white paper thingy that piles up everywhere and you hardly even read it?)  It would have cost me over $13 dollars to place a simple small add.   This last time  my daughter encouraged me to get out of the stone age and put it on Craigslist.  If you have never used Craigslist, it was extremely simple, and FREE!   One time I called SWAP and SELL  on the radio at KQMS the show  on Saturday mornings.  That is also FREE!  FREE is good.

OK, Big Pet Peeve:  Early birds!  Those people who come before 7:00 am and look thru your stuff before you are ready, even though your signs clearly state starts at 7:00!  I have found the only way to beat them, is to be ready the night before with as much as you can so when you lift that garage door all you’ve got to do is drag the tables and stuff out. Walla, instant yard sale.   Almost every sale I have done I did all by myself, the hubby is sooo not interested. So being ready is crucial.  This includes pricing your items.  You don’t have to price everything, but it sure cuts down on the questions. “How much do you want for this beautiful talking Star Wars book?”  Even if you do price it all, they will still ask. That is just the way it is.

My sexy yard sale fanny pack filled with money!

Have change ready ahead of time (don’t forget the quarters!).  And keep it on your person at all times. I use my sexy fanny pack (hey, they are making a come back!)

Put all the good stuff and big items out front.  I use the sidewalk.  That way the “drive by’s” will be more likely to park, get out of their car and check it out.

Shade is good.  If you have a canopy, put it up!  If your stuff is under shade, people will not miss the priceless box in the back full of  motivational  cassette tapes you bought in the 80′s. (just dust them off a little, they’ll be great!)

This one is important;  block off anything and everything that is not for sale.  The rest of the garage, your house, your backyard, your pets, your kids.  People see stuff, pick it up and think it is for sale.  Be careful!

Have plastic or paper bags available. People expect them, like you are a store. They just do. You do not want to have to go inside your house for things too often, (i’m not very trusting, I’m just saying).

If you have cothes hanging up, use only wire hangers you don’t want anymore.  People SWIPE them!  Has happened to me many times.

BIGGER PET PEEVE:  People who do not take down their signs after they are finished!  Come on people, after 2 months they are just an eyesore!  This town has a lot of yard sales every weekend.  That is a lot of signs all over the place.  REMOVE THEM!

So was my yard sale Worth It?

To me, worth it  is when most of the junk in my yard is gone.  If I have a little cash in my pocket, and I do not have to make a trip to the dump (it will always be “the dump” to me) then it was a smashing success!  I am also happy when I can do it all in one day, I rarely have a two day yard sale because I cannot stand to sit out there all day!

HAPPY YARD SALING!

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Who is Merriell and What is This Blog Thingy Anyway?

Posted on July 9, 2012 by merriell

Hi! I am so thrilled to be blogging!

I am 44 years old now, but do not feel like it.  I had been stuck in a job for YEARS that I absolutely hated. It drained me, and made me not like myself or my life. I was depressed, overweight (still working on that) cranky and angry a lot of the time.
I came to a point where a CHANGE had to be made.

I took a big leap of faith and quit my full time- steady- good paying- benefit giving job. This blog is to express what I have gone through and what I am doing now and plan for the future. How my life has changed already and my feelings about life now. The world has opened up to me!

My family is the most important thing in the world to me. And that includes my parents and my sister. We are all very close. I am married to a wonderful supportive husband, and have 3 great healthy kids. Danielle is 24 and happily married to a great guy, Jeremy is 16 and in the middle of his high school days, and Hailey is 10 and our tomboy- and I wouldn’t have it any other way. More to come about all of them.

I have many interests, maybe you share some of the same. I love home decorating (although don’t come over, I’m not done yet!). I love to work in my yard, my hubby and I designed our front yard ourselves. I love FLOWERS. I love art about flowers, I love the smell of flowers, I love growing flowers, arranging flowers, the list goes on. I actually have a certificate in floral design I earned at Shasta College. I have done the flowers for several weddings of our friends and family. Oh and prom flowers, those are fun. I love music, all different kinds. I find it uplifts me like nothing else can. That is part of the reason I love my new found interest Zumba. I can dance on and on to those Zumba songs they play in class. I have a baby grand piano and an organ in my small living room. I can play, but rarely do. I haven’t figured out why yet. I gotta work on that. I like to read, but I’m not as fast as my mom and daughter- they read scary fast! I like to scrapbook, but never do. I feel a blog coming on about that. I am very into the political scene, but want to stay away from that topic, for now anyway.  And last, I’m a sucker for a good sci fi movie. (some favorites are; Star Wars, Planet of the Apes, Terminator, E.T., Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind)

So that is a picture of me and my life at this very moment. My goal is to provide some helpful information and entertainment, hopefully in the form of laughter,  for others along this journey of blogging.

Thanks for reading!   Merriell

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