Anniversary Song

In honor of celebrating our 14th wedding anniversary a few days ago, here are the lyrics to a beautiful song by the Cowboy Junkies.

Anniversary Song

(Michael Timmins )

Have you ever seen a sight as beautiful

as that of the rain-soaked purple

of the white birch in spring?

Have you ever felt more fresh or wonderful

than on a warm fall night

under a Mackerel sky,

the smell of grapes on the wind?

Well I have known all these things

and the joys that they can bring.

And I'll share them all for a cup of coffee

and to wear your ring.

Have you ever had the pleasure of watching

a quiet winter's snow slowly gathering

like simple moments adding up?

Have you ever satisfied a gut feeling

to follow a dry dirt road that's beckoning you

to the heart of a shimmering summer's day?

Well I have known all these things

and the joys that they can bring.

And I'll share them all for a cup of coffee

and to wear your ring.

And I don't know how I survived those days

before I held your hand.

Well I never thought that I would be the one

to admit that the moon and the sun

shine so much brighter

when seen through two pairs of eyes

than when seen through just one.

Have you ever seen a sight as beautiful

as a face in a crowd of people

that lights up just for you?

Have you ever felt more fresh or wonderful

as when you wake

by the side of that boy or girl

who has pledged their love to you?

Well I have known all these things

and the joys that they can bring.

And now every morning there's a cup of coffee

and I wear your ring.

My new favorite song...

A friend sent this hilarious video to me - enjoy!  Ken Lee - what a guy!

How I Got A New Printer For Free

I enjoy saving money.  Today I decided to go to Staples (office supply store).  My printer is on its last legs and I really need a new one so I wanted to look around.  

On the way to Staples I stopped by the post office to check the post office box.  In the box was my Staples Rewards check - perfect timing.  I have a Staples Rewards card that I always swipe when making my purchases.  I have used it so much that I am now "Platinum" - doesn't that sound fancy?  Anyway, my Rewards check was $31.00!  Granted I had to spend money to earn this "reward", but I would have spent the money anyway on needed office supplies for our business.  The largest Rewards check I've ever received was $42.00.  

Anyway, before going into Staples, I went through my Day Planner.  I always put the coupons that I have clipped in it so I won't forget to use them.  I found a coupon I had clipped for Staples that I thought was for online purchases only, but I read it more closely and found that I could use it in the store too.  It was for $40 off a purchase of $200 or more.  Cool!

I went to the Clearance section and found several display model printers on sale.  The displays were an extra 10% off of the sale price.  I found one that looked promising (Canon MP530 all in one) and asked a few questions.  I found out that it also had a $50 mail in rebate and was a very good price.  It was also a fax, scanner, and copier so I could finally get rid of the gigantic fax machine that takes up so much room in my office.

I had to purchase some other business items and went to check out.  The printer cost $129.00 minus the display discount of 10% = ($116.00) minus $50 mail in rebate = ($66.10) minus $40 off purchase of $200 or more coupon = ($26.10) minus $31.00 Staples Reward check = credit of +$4.90.  I was actually paid almost $5.00 to get the new printer (which I applied towards extra ink).  You have to love that!!!!

Financial Crisis - How did we get here?

Here is my theory on how America got to the present financial crisis.  Maybe we all should have paid more attention in Economics class.  Did you?  Did anyone?  Anyone?

Enjoy the clip.  When it is finished, you can click on several other clips from one of the greatest movies of my generation.

Also, I'm looking forward to seeing Ben Stein's new movie Expelled.  I hear it is excellent.  www.expelledthemovie.com

Has anybody else seen it yet?  Anyone?  Anyone?  :)

Learning New Things

I am always game for learning new things.  I am not one of those people who goes around saying "I can't do that."  (Except when it applies to lunacy such as sky diving, bungee jumping, roller coasters, or anything else I'm afraid to do :)

With the rising costs of everything from gas to groceries, I really thought twice before taking our three beloved dogs to get groomed this month.  They are non-shedding dogs and their hair grows like humans so they get a haircut every 8 weeks.  The groomer charges $75 each for the big dogs and $45 for the little one and that is with the multi dog discount.  Yes, it cost me $195 the last time I had them groomed!  We've only had the big dogs for four months so I've only had to take them to the groomer twice.

So, after thinking about it for a while and watching a few YouTube videos on how it is done, I decided to try grooming them myself.  What's the worst that could happen?  If it turned out awful, I could just shave them down and wait for it to grow back.   The results were not too shabby if I do say so myself.  They don't glare at me when I walk by like my 13 year old does after a bad haircut, so they must like it.  It isn't perfect, but I'm sure I'll improve as I learn more.  

It did help that they were so cooperative.   They just stood there for the hour it took me to groom each one and seemed grateful when all I gave them was a peanut butter dog biscuit for their good behavior.  

I have a new respect for the dog groomer and believe they earn every penny that they charge (the back ache alone!), but I think we'll be seeing less of them.  The moral of my little story?  Try learning a new skill  - you might just save yourself money!!!