~~~Finding Home sweet Home~~~

I thought it might be fun to throw out a post and hope others will play along. I've always enjoyed looking at other peoples houses....and if I'm being perfectly honest...I'd love to sneak a peek in their windows too! So....how about showing us where you've lived, how many times you've moved, and how wide a path you've traveled finding your "home sweet home".


I've not done much moving around in my life. I've actually only lived in three towns in my 48 years.

This is the home I was born and raised in. My parents bought it for about $6000 back in 1955. Prior to their purchase it had been "a house of ill repute". They raised 3 kids here and sold it when they retired and moved to Arizona.

When I got my first job out of college it was for a home builder. The owners were amazing people...truly generous and a joy to work for. They made it possible for me to build my first house when I was 19. I couldn't find any pictures of it complete (ok I was too lazy to look hard) ...but these show it during construction. (yeah that's me in the doorway on crutches). I built this house in the same town I was born in. It was great living that close to my family.



Years later...when my kids were in middle school....we discovered that one bathroom and 4 people getting ready in the morning was NOT working! So it was time to move on. I loved my neighborhood ...so I chose to build a house just around the corner from where we were living.



In 2001 I made the biggest move of my life. I got married again and moved to New England. Leaving Utah was the hardest thing I've ever done. And I knew I was going to miss my mountain views. So I decided that if I had a home on a lake it would be a fair trade off. My new hubby and I bought this cute little A-Frame on a gorgeous private lake.

This is how it looked when we first bought it..........



And how it looked after some renovations....................

I loved living on the lake...we had a little paddle boat and it was so beautiful every season of the year. But it also came with a ton of restrictions from the dreaded "Wet lands Commission". Everytime we wanted to do any improvements we had to jump through hoops and spend a fortune to prove that it wouldn't have any ill effects on the environment. After fighting with them for 4 years we'd had enough....and decided to relocate.

We found a gorgeous lot in the next town over. That afforded us some much needed outdoor space...and some privacy. But was still in a really pretty neighborhood. And we build our current home........
We love it here.....it is everything we hoped it would be. And we know how blessed we are.

We hope to stay here until we retire in about 10 years......then I have my eye on this little retirement cottage.................

I'm pretty sure all my furniture will fit.

So now it's your turn................

This will make you giggle.

~♥~ I WISH WEDNESDAY ~♥~

It's WISH time again....but before you start, make sure you scroll down and enter my giveaway!

I wish.................my blasted internet was working at home. I had to post this from work...so if I don't get around to visit everyone it's because I'm busy trying to track down and cause bodily harm to my Verizon rep...they are in soooo much trouble!
*3/26 sorry about that Verizon...I take back what I said about your mother. Thanks for your quick fix!

I wish....................that whatever this is....it still didn't look better than me in a bathing suit!

I wish.............to send a great big sugar-high thank you to Barbie From I ♥ 2 girls. She sent me these scrumptious Godiva truffles. And yes there is one missing...heck my camera was upstairs and I needed some choco-energy to get me all the way up there! And if I'm being totally honest....that one ain't the only one gone today. THANKS Barbie....my thighs hate you...but my tummy thinks YOU DA'BOMB!

I wish................that I'd never been so pathetic as to complain about the snow in New England. I also wish that there isn't a sudden thaw where these people live.

I wish...............................ewwwww I'm so grossed out my "wisher" is broken.

I wish............that for anyone who hasn't been HERE and met Beth...that they'd take the time to do it. She is an elementary School Principal. And her stories about her job and life just crack me up. The current one about her Grandma's Lesson on life....is flippin funny!!! (I also wish I didn't have sore fingers from typing that incredibly long blog address...sheeesh Beth you think theres enough letters in that thing????)

I wish........................that his speedo was the most disturbing part of this picture...but it ain't!. (I also wish that you'll forgive me for subjecting you to this one!)

I wish..........................that everyone who has any kind of crafting skill would check out this very cool project HERE. It is the funnest way to make someone's day. The stories about the people who find these toys just bring tears to your eyes...like THIS one.

I wish........................That instead of just hugging trees....we'd make them all sweaters.


I wish..................it was easier to buy a gun in Massachusetts.

I wish...........April 16th would hurry up and get here. Because I'm getting a visit from my dearest friend on the planet. She lives in Houston and I haven't seen her for over ten years!! YAY Lori I can't wait. I also wish my house would clean itself for your visit!

I wish..................... That you could crop yourself in real life...and that I had her skills.............

Thanks for visiting .... and I hope your wishes don't land you in the slammer!

BIG THANKS ♥ & A GIVEAWAY!

First thing I'd like to say THANKS for all the help and suggestions on my camera. The advice for putting it in with uncooked rice...though a little crazy sounding...turned out to be pretty darn smart! Some of the functions are still not working, I get error messages when I download the pictures, and the photos are a bit fuzzy...but danged if it's not sorta working again! So thanks a bunch for the great advice!

And while we're on the subject of saying thanks....I owe a great big THANKS to Justine and Jill. Those two might be wild and crazy. But they have hearts of pure gold! I got a surprise package in the mail the other day...and I haven't stopped grinning since. They were shopping one day and saw something that reminded them of me...and they bought it and sent it out "just because". Check this out!!
My fuzzy picture doesn't do it justice at all. But it is the cutest thing you ever saw. I have it sitting on my computer desk and it tickles me everytime I look at it. If you haven't met these two ladies...you're missing out! A visit to their blogs is like an adventure...you just never know what you'll find! Check them out HERE and HERE. And from the bottom of my ♥ Thanks to the both of you!

A couple weeks ago SITS had a spring fling day where there were tons of prizes and a gazillion blogs to visit that were all having giveaways. The ladies at SITS are always doing something fun. Since it was my day off, I plopped down with my computer and spent the ENTIRE day blog hopping and entering contests.

And not only did I find some awesome blogs...but I won some really cool stuff. I got this from our dear bloggy friend Sandy Toes from "Shell in your Pocket" She painted the watering can with chalkboard paint so I can write on it...and she included some other special little gifts. SHE ROCKS!

I also won these pretty pearl earrings from Jeannie. Her blog "Jeannie's Happy World" is a new one I found and now I am hooked! Check out the adorable handmade card she sent with the prize...It's a prize all by itself! Thanks Jeannie!

NOW FOR THE GIVEAWAY........

I found an Etsy store called Polpette Clay that just blew me away. I love things that make me smile and laugh and her creations did just that. So I ordered some of her fridge magnets....and they are even cuter in real life! So I figured I'd share the love...because anything this HAPPY needs to be shared. I'm keeping one of them....I'm not that generous. But three lucky winners will get one too!

This one is called "welcome spring"

Tropical vacation.

Girls night in

Carrot cube.

I also have this cute "comment Junkie" T-shirt. Now this is brand new...still has the tag on it. I won it from SITS. It's a size large...and I'm larger lol. So if you are interested to have your name in on the T-shirt let me know in your comment.

And I'll be throwing in a few extra surprises....some of which I haven't even thought of yet! Stuff I love....like these evil little critters that you put on your key chain...they are the coolest "self defense" gadgets ever. I buy them for all the ladies I love and want to keep safe. They for sure will be part of the prize package.

So what do you have to do to win? Well there will be no jumping through hoops, cutting or pasting, posting or following....I'm not even asking for a blood sample. All you have to do is simply leave a comment on this post. Let me know which pea pod is your favorite....and that's it. I'll leave the contest open for awhile so all my bloggy friends have time to drop by. And the fact that you all do drop by....just make me all squooshie inside. You are the best invisible friends a girl EVER had. And I loves ya!

SOME THINGS......JUST DON'T NEED A BATH!

OH AND FOR ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE BEEN ASKING ME TO POST A CURRENT PICTURE OF MYSELF.................HERE YA GO!