So a lot to update I guess...

**Dh rounded up the kids' change and some change I found (in a moving box no less) and all our change actually, and took it to Coinstar for an Amazon gift certificate. About $16.

I'd say that is about 10 years of coin savings for us. LOL. Actually, I've said before many times, I don't *get* the whole change saving thing because I rather keep the cash I don't need in my bank, earning interest. But that's just me.

The kids are another story. Whenever anyone drops change near them, they dive for it. & then the change droppers just let them keep it. They insist. They find a lot of quarters this way. (Yes, they have an edge us adults don't have). They also find a LOT of dimes on the ground. My eye sight is just not that good. LOL. So about $6 of it was their change and $10 was mine. But I no longer deal in cash so in the future it will all be theirs.

(I did used to collect change, and that is why I found the $10 in a box!).

**Dh made another $100 on Ebay. Our "non-payer" DID pay when she got paid Friday. I was skeptical and dh was trusting. He wins this time.

Dh wanted $50 for his selling/buying, so I will probably get to keep about $50, if the last person ever pays.

**I was called for a focus group, they interviewed me like 15 minutes, and I didn't make it. I tried Pinecone, I tried MySurvey. No one wants my demographic. !! (It doesn't help that I don't shop much). Dh gets an average of 4 focus groups a year. I get 0. I was bummed though because this one looked promising. For an easy $65. Oh well!

**I spent too much money. I bought some posters for the kids' rooms. Online. With shipping I spent almost $50. I felt bad, but oh well. LM's room is really coming together.

**How could I forget? I am on Vacation. Yay! Work was so slow the last couple of days, I left early yesterday.

This was bad. I was craving cookies, so I picked up cookies on the way to get BM for school. For dinner I talked dh into pizza. Though we did do the store bought on which is really cheap on Fridays. So at least that is something.

Anyway, after BM came home, we went on a nice bike ride and we did the smaller puzzle I bought last weekend. We finished it in an hour or so, BUT it was fun. What they did was half the puzzle was bigger sized pieces and half the puzzle was little pieces. Dh did the little side, I had to do the bigger side with the kids. LOL. LM did really well though. So after Thanksgiving we will break out the adult puzzle and see if they can get a little more into it.

Anyway, it AMAZED me how much time I had when I got home a little after 2:00. No idea. I guess I usually miss the daylight too.

(The extra cool thing when I have time off is that dh is always home too. I mean, we are pretty independent. BUT if I am sick I got someone to take care of me. & if I get bored on vacation, I have someone to talk to. Hehe. & right now I have someone to help me get the house in to shape!).

**I also got a couple of books at the library.

One is a funny little fiction book about a premature retirement (I will share more after I read it - like the title - I think the author is Rothman?). & a book on the history of words and saying. I just eat that stuff up.

Flipping through, one of the first words I came across was "bankruptcy." Seems appropriate. This one is funny! In Roman times bankers set up at benches/tables in the town square. They functioned much like modern banks. If they went under though, and could not pay back their deposits, the law allowed the depositors to take the banker's body in pieces in proportion to his owed debts. (LOVELY). In the Middle Ages it became customary for depositors to break the tables/benches of the "bankrupt" bankers, to signify they were no longer in business. "Bankrupt" simply means "broken bench." Over time it became the term used for businesses who became insolvent.

Anyway, yeah, besides my giant to-do list, I have some reading and crafts to do, lest I get bored with all my time off.

**Sunday night we will prep LM's room for painting and we intend to paint it Monday while he is at school all day. I think it is possible we can finish before noon. I don't expect it will take long to paint, nor that we will do more than one coat. Phew. We may need to buy a second paint brush and some masking tape. We'll see. We have to take inventory.

I would love to just do BM's room to and get 'er done. His room is boring but doesn't look like hell though. Dh is NOT going for it. I should feel lucky I talked him into the room that needs it. I guess if LM's room is very labor intensive I will appreciate the wait. & if not, I won't see the big deal to just do it some weekend or something. (Trying to be positive). Though most of me would love to just get it ALL done while we have the paint supplies out!

**Thanksgiving - we are having like 20 people over. Yeesh.

I hadn't given it much thought. Dh is in charge of the menu and groceries and such. But of course I will help out. So we need to sit down and discuss it, at some point.

It will be one of those years EVERYONE is coming, so it should be fun. Kids are real excited.

I just don't mind it much. The family helps a lot with the cooking. & well, we are messy enough. The mess doesn't scare me. Hehe. Really, I just LOVE not having to go anywhere on this holiday. & I have the time off to prepare (but not that it really matters - I don't have much prepping to do really. I've got dh!).