This Time For Real...

Okay, so things didn't take off like I'd hoped after my last post...  But here I am, a month later, this time honestly renewed, refreshed & ready for changes!  (This last phrase will look familiar to those of you who are my friends on Facebook.)

My son & I just got back from a trip on Saturday that had been about three years in the making.  On our last cruise in 2007 we had heard about the new ship Oasis that Royal Caribbean was working on.  When we heard about it, my son said, "That would be a great ship to sail on!"  I realized that it was supposed to come out the same year my son graduated high school so a plan was put in place to take the cruise as a graduation celebration.

Well, life happened and between the divorce, remarriage and economy troubles we almost didn't end up going.  But thanks to some wonderful friends & family we were able to make it.  I had meant to discuss the trip before I left but in all the chaos of life that just didn't happen.  But now we're back and I can say the trip was awesome!  (Yes, I use that word a lot...it's the Southern California girl in me coming out...)  The best part about the trip and cruise was that my son & I really got to connect on a new level.  He is now officially an adult and we had some great conversations along the way that I probably wouldn't have had with him a couple of years ago.  There just seems to be more of an "openness" to our discussions now--probably because he feels that now as an adult he can't "get in trouble" for saying the wrong things.  Who knows.  Anyway, after we got home, before I went to sleep, he came in and thanked me for taking him on the trip and said it was so worth it.  That was the cherry on top of the sundae for me.

So, now back to life.  You know, being away from the rest of your family (i.e. husband) for ten days can give both of you time to think and reflect on things.  Sometimes unfortunately we have to get to a place that seems like there's no hope to realize just how much there is.  I think it did both of us a lot of good and without going into major personal detail about our life lately, we are both feeling refreshed and ready for changes.  Changes for the good, like taking control of our out-of-control house, trying to get some of our bills paid off, and looking into eventually moving into our own house.  Not to mention making more time for ourselves and making sure we take the time to slow down and appreciate each other.

Life is good. 

Renewed...

Other than my Ebay announcement, I really haven't blogged in awhile.  I hate to sound so cliche and say, "I've just been so busy!" but it really is true.  I'm trying hard to get my house organized (a fantastic feat for me, in case you don't know me well) and also I am now a mere THREE weeks away from a trip that's been in the planning works for about three YEARS now.  (I will expound more on this trip in the weeks to come, trust me...)  Every day I've said to myself, "I really need to get back into my blog" and then nothing happened.

But then today I read a post on one of my favorite blogs, The Pioneer Woman, called "10 Important Things I've Learned About Blogging".  It really gave me that kick in the ass that I needed to get back on track.  I think in the past I worried too much about not having specific things to blog about.  But Ree's article reminded me that I need to just let go and have fun with it.

So.......let the fun begin! 

Who Loves Makeup Bags/Totes?

Just a quick heads up...
I was cleaning out some boxes this weekend and found a whole bag full of Clinique makeup bags/totes.  I don't use much makeup as it is, so I can't see keeping all of them when someone else can get good use out of them.  So I've listed them on Ebay and if you're interested you can find them here:
McFaddensFarm on Ebay

So if you decide to give it a go, happy bidding! :-)

P.S.  Yes, I'm aware that it has been a REALLY long time since I've posted here.  I vow I will get back to posting regularly.  We're still getting ready (and trying to earn spending money) for my son's graduation cruise coming up on 9/30.  I will be posting updates on our lives and my usual general observations on the world soon...  

Corn Chip Feet

My dog's feet smell like corn chips....I like to smell them....

Is that wrong?

Groupon...This is Cool!

Have any of my tens of readers out there heard of Groupon?  It's a web site/application that offers discounts/coupons for local businesses in your area.  I signed up for it a month or so ago, but originally it said it still wasn't in Boise yet.  This is because they have to have a large enough group of people sign up in one area to start off with to make sure that they can offer the discounts. 

Well apparently enough people signed up because I started getting a Deal of the Day email last week.  I'm sure there will be plenty of them that I'm not interested in...but it's great when there's one that I really like.  Already I've found one that I'm interested in and want to try.  (30 day exercise boot camp, normally $149 on Groupon for $39.  I may try this to get in shape before my upcoming cruise in October.)  You can check out the Groupon web site to find out more info about how it works and what the deals are in your area. 

And with Groupon you can also refer friends and get credits towards future deals.  Here's how it works:  If someone joins Groupon within 72 hours after clicking your link, they'll notify you within 24 hours of their first purchase and automatically add $10 Groupon Bucks to your account. You can refer as many people as you like.  Even if you don't click on my link and sign up, it's still worth it to check it out.  You never know if you'll find a deal you like!