EA...Ebay Anonymous

HELP, I am addicted. Every free moment I have, I have been on eBay shopping around. I keep putting in bids! No, it has not been over 10.00. But I am still doing it. Most, about 90% I don't win. Mainly because I will not bid over so much, because the time you add their outrageous shipping and handling cost you can by it brand new...or BNIB, which is eBay lingo for brand new in box!

I have won 2 auctions now, the first was 14 little people boys...which are so cute. I did get a little out of hand with these though. I have learned my lesson. I was my first auction, I just didn't know. I bid $8.50 and S&H was $5.50, so the total was $14.00. Which wasn't horrible, it makes each one $1 each.


Next, I won this animal sound zoo. I did much better on this one. I won it for .99. Yes the S&H was outrageous, it was $8.00. So I paid a total of $8.99 for it. So not to bad...right??? It has all the animals it originally came with except the parrot. Which is okay because I am not fond of parrots anyway. I really did research this one, brand new it is $22.00, and all the other ones being sold on eBay started at $4.99 and $8.00 S&H. So this was a good deal...right???

If anyone has any ideas, or if I am just being robbed please let me know! Am I getting out of control, I feel like I am getting good deals, but I never would have spent this much at a yardsale for these items. Is it the thrill of the auction, I am constantly checking my email to see if I am out bid. I usually am, and I don't re-bid, which is good. I really want the pirate ship, the mayflower, the circus, the super market( I already have the shopper, the cart and the case of bananas) and the airport, but once again, I want them, does Ry want them, or need them...that is the question???

R.I.P. Fishey

Today was the day, the day Fishey died. I fed him when we woke this morning, then around 2:30 this afternoon I went and got Ry from his nap, and there he floated. It was a very sad moment for us, well just Matt and I. Ryan kept pointing and talking to him as he floated at the top of his week long home. It was exactly one week ago today we brought Fishey into our home and gave him a loving father, Ryan. It is very sad, this was the first pet Ryan has had. Now we just need to clean the home and make some clean water for Fishey II.

Life in the Morrow household...

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I love being a part time stay at home mom

I just love being able to stay at home. It is only part time, which is plenty, I would lose my mind if it were full time. I worked on Wednesday and I don't have to go back till 1:30 on Monday.

Thursday morning we got up and we played around the house for about an hour. Ryan was practicing jumping, he was only making it to his tippy toes. We were playing in the sun room, and just running from room to room singing and dancing...just laughing and having a care free time. Then we had some errands to run, then we met Corie and her new bundle of joy, Chloe at the St. Louis Mills. It was one of her first big outings as a new mom. It was so much fun. I remember those days like they were yesterday, but they feel so long ago. You feel as if you are moving into the mall since you are unloading your entire car. Chloe is such a sweet baby and loved looking at everything. I am so happy to be able to share such a wonderful, wonderful bond with such a good friend. Motherhood is a one of a kind bond you share with other mothers, and I am so thankful that Corie and I relationship has that closer bond now. She is an amazing person and is going to make a exeptional mommy.

My other wonderful mommy friend Kathy and I and Ryan and the girls (Annabel and Audrey) all went to yardsales, lunch, doctor, Sam's, icecream, Target, and Borders today...I think that was it. We had a crazy busy day, fun but alot. We did not set out to do that much, it just happened. I love hanging out with the three of them, it puts me in a world of normal, makes me feel like I am not as crazy as I feel at times. Things that really do happen to me do happen to other moms and she is always there to pull me forward. I can just relax when I am with them...well to some degree, we do have 3 demanding kids in the back seat all wanting the same thing.

I don't know what I would do with out my mommy friends...they keep me sane!

Just a few more pics of Ryan, I am now letting him feed him self breakfast...well part of it, another thing I don't have much of is patience!

first fishey!

Ryan has a new fish. It is his first, and honestly it has survived 48 hours longer than what we expected it to. I got a free 'margarita' fish bowl from a yard sale, so I figured why not a get a little fish to go with it.

Matt took Ryan to Wal-Mart to pick out the lucky one. It was quit a trip, is what I was told. Matt didn't think the fish was going to survive getting out of Wal-Mart. Ryan was looking at the bag and before Matt knew it Ryan had the corner of the bag squeezing it with little fishy in the corner as well. But he made it, he is a strong little fish. It is now Monday night and he is still alive. We will see what the morning will bring.

We think Ryan has named him Mmmm, but for sanity reasons we renamed him fishey.

The bottom picture is Ryan giving fishey a kiss, he is not trying to eat him.

A new day a new lesson...

When you do not hear any noise from down the hall for more than 10 seconds, you need to go check on your child.

Case in point...they will find what ever you do not want them to find and eat it. As in this case it is a bar of soap :P

Canning pickles

We decided to can pickles. I know it sounds crazy, but it was actually pretty fun. Jason grew some cucumbers and had the idea to can them. Well of course it was Loni and I who actually did all the work. The guys came in at the last minute to 'help'. Matt wanted to 'help' get the sterilized jars out of the water, and he flew boiling water all over his left foot, which I thought he deserved and Jason said the jars needed to be put right side up when done, and of course he was wrong and Loni was right, they needed to go upside down.

It all started at 9:00 pm (we can't get anything started before dark). Loni and I went to Dierbergs to get all the supplies, figuring if any place was going to have it all it would be there. Well, wrong again, they didn't have dill canning mix, only dill salt, and they were all out of fresh dill. I had a brilliant idea of getting fresh cut up dill and wrapping it in cheese cloth, well I just don't think they make that any more. Then Loni had the brilliant idea of just using pantyhose.


Once we got home with all the so-called supplies, we realized that we had no pickling seasoning, the salt we bought was not the same thing. We called Schnucks and they had that, so the guys stopped by there to get that...which was a big help...thanks guys!

So, the process started. We had to boil jars and the lids, but separately in separate pots.

We had to cut up all the cucumbers. We let them soak in the pickle and canning salt for about 15 minutes. They were suppose to soak for 24 hours, well oops we didn't have 24 hours.

We put all the seasonings in the jars. We decided not to use pantyhose and just put it all in there. We used fresh pre-cut dill, crushed pepper and 1 garlic clove. Then we decided to make one 'experiment jar', we put in alot more crushed pepper and some cayenne pepper sauce. So we have one spicy pickle jar.

We had to pack as many cut cucumbers into one jar as we could.

We then put the lids on all of them and put them in the worlds largest canning pot! I had to use 2 burners. It took about an hour and half to get the whole thing boiling. Talk about a hot house, oh my goodness, it was actually cooler outside than in.

These are our finished products. The red one on the right is the 'spicy experiment'.

We filled the jars with simmered kosher mix with part vinegar and part water.

This is where are jars will sit for at least the next two weeks. When they are all done, we have agreed that we are all going to take a bite at the same time. So I will keep you all updated.

The Messy Roommate

At one time, long long ago, I actually had a semi clean and tidy house. It was open to anyone who would just stop by. Things were put away and in order. Sure maybe a dish or two in the sink. Our house has always looked like it is lived in, not a catalog house by any means, but tidy, you could walk from room to room with stepping on something, you weren't afraid to walk in the dark.

Well I am afraid that time has passed, we now have that 'messy roommate' living amongst us. Not unwanted just messy. Sure I can go from room to room or from crash site to crash site cleaning up behind him. That is just not as much fun, I have to play too. I do try to tidy up a bit, but while I am putting things back up on the shelves he is pulling it back down. I have actually tried to leave it messy, thinking, well that will save me alot of time for other things...nope that does not work. He feels the damage is already done there, so lets not play with that stuff, we must destroy other areas of the house.

all the destruction you are about see took place between 8:45 and 9:45 this morning

When did this house get taken over, and how so easily??? I know, the day Matt and I decided to have children, ' the messy roommates' !!!

wrong AGAIN

I was looking at a teeth chart last night with Matt, and these 2 new teeth have to be molars.

So, this blog is a correction from the last...Yes they are is molars!!!

two new teeth

Everyone keeps telling me he is teething. I have been hearing it for months now. I just ignore it because no more teeth are popping up...

Well tonight I brought him home from his long tiring day with Me-maw and he just kept crying. I mean screaming crying. Which always concerns me when he does, because he is not a crier...well didn't use to be. He never cries to that degree unless there is something wrong.

I was able to sing "if your happy and you know it", and "itsy bitsy spider" to him, which did calm him down quit a bit. So he had his nightly bath and it started all over again. He brushes his own teeth every night and that usually makes him very happy too, that didn't work either.

Well....while he was screaming so loud I looked inside his mouth, and low and behold there they were, 2 big chompers. They are not the ones next to his 4 front ones but back further, and no they are not his molars.

My poor baby, I feel like I have been neglecting him. I haven't been giving him any teething tablets or anything, I swore he was not teething...well I was wrong again.

Maybe one day I will get a grasp on this whole mother thing...one day :(

CHUCK E. CHEESE

WHERE A KID CAN BE A KID!!!

An old friend of mine from high school has a little boy, Bradley. He is 1 1/2 months younger than Ryan. But they are so similar when playing. They both run in the opposite direction when being called.

They both had so much fun. When we first got there, we ate then it was time to play.

It has been quit some time since I have been there. My oh my has it changed, its HUGE now, and clean. It was so well managed.

Most of what the boys did was ride the rides, which there was alot they could. Some of the games were low enough and easy enough for them to play. They played whack-mole and spider squash.

After we left there we went to the Mall she had to get a birthday gift. They enjoyed that little experience as well. Once we were up to the stop light they were out like a light. He slept for 12 hours last night...thank you Chuck E. Cheese!!!

Happy Birthday to you...

I just wanted to take a moment to wish my very good friend

Tami Bihary a very Happy Birthday!!!

You deserve the best!

I hope you get everything you asked for...(hint hint for the picture taking device, Kal)

Have a beautiful day,

with love,

Amanda, Matt, and Ryan

PORFD annual firemans picnic

On Saturday night we went to Pocahontas, where they had the PORFD fire mans picnic (Pocahontas old Ripley fire department). Jason and Loni are both on the department so that is why we go.

When we first got there it was raining, so we sat under the bingo tent where the 'one-ma-band' performed!

despite what you may think of these pictures, he was actually pretty good, and funny! We did request "if your happy and you know it", since it is one of Ry's fave fives these days!

In the above picture he is clapping to the song, he was just lovin' it. He was clapping and dancing the whole time. I think Ryan is officially his #1 fan

then it was dinner time, we had fried chicken, green beans, coleslaw, and french fries!

parade time, Ryan had a fun time with that, he got to see a huge elephant which he was so excited about since he loves all his animals. You would not believe the amount of people or parade workers who kept coming up and giving him candy and putting it on his tray. And poor Ry didn't get any of it, I had to keep taking it away from himMy parents also attended this event. They were just wonderful helping me watch Ry. Matt and I had to help with Bingo so we really needed help watching him. They let him run all around the monument in the middle of the park with all the other kids, they played games with him too. He even got a glow necklace.

Then there was Bingo. Jason was in charge of the Bingo so we helped them all night with collecting money and checking for a good Bingo. I learned that night that I was not a good Bingo attendant, I actually had complaints...Matt on the other hand had people worshiping the ground he walked on. His section loved him and mine hated me!

All in all, we had a great time. Ryan had so much fun, being able to run every where. They had another band that he loved to dance with too.