"Fantasy Soccer Game" by Deacon Lundby

Turkey Firecrackers Vs. America Bulldogs

Hi, I'm your host Deacon. As soon as we start the game, I'm sure it will be a stunning game. And now, the game will start in 5-4-3-2-1!! The whistle started the game.

Turkey passed it on to another teammate as soon as they were going to shoot, a Bulldog got the ball away from the Firecrackers and they kept on passing the ball and they scored a goal. Half the crowd went wild, the other half started to boo! What an exciting goal! Now, the Firecrackers are trying to out-tire the Bulldogs. They just keep on passing it back and forth. They're tiring out each person one by one and they scored a goal. Half the crowd went wild and the other half started to boo! And now, the Firecrackers scored another goal and half the crowd went wild and the other half started to boo even louder! Then when it was the Bulldogs kickoff and there was one well-rested kickoff person and as soon as he kicked it off, it went zooming into the goal. Then the Firecrackers were kind of freaked out that the kickoff was that powerful!

What an amazing game!

And now, a kickoff for Turkey! They just kick it and it went straight to the goal. It almost went in, but it went off and it hit the goalie straight in the face. It was such a powerful kick that it bounced off his face and went all the way on the Firecrackers territory. And there was one guy over there and he kicked it into the goal. And then half the crowd wild and the other half boo-ed more than ever! And just as soon as the clock ran out the Firecrackers scored a goal, to make the score 3-3. So now it's time for overtime! Turkey won the coin toss and they get to kick off.

The turkeys just kicked it and it hit the post of the goal and it hit the other post of the goal and it bounced off and then America got it and kicked it and it was just right on the line, but it didn't make the goal. Then the goalie picked it up and drop-kicked it and mis-aimed it and it accidentally went behind him and into the crowd. So, then they got out a new soccer ball and they give it back to the goalie that accidentally mis-aimed and then he just kicked it and it bounced off of the goal post into the air and it kept on bouncing from the goal posts and then it finally went to the Bulldogs goalie. He drop-kicked it to the side and his teammates kept passing it back and forth and just as the time was about to run out, a Bulldog scored a goal. Victory! And the Bulldogs got the victory of winning a Soccer Championship!

I'll see you next time on Fantasy Soccer Games! This is Deacon Lundby signing off. Good day and goodnight!

Deacon "Bigfoot" Lundby

*If only you could hear the drama and excitement in his voice as he dictated it to me, he would go from a whisper to a strong, booming voice. Priceless, just priceless.

I have so much!

I have so much to be thankful for. Here are just a few things:

I have a loving husband. And I'm so glad he picked me!
I have a funny husband, shh... don't tell him, it'll just go to his head. ;)
I have a kind husband. It's best if he doesn't know about stray animals, one look and he's sunk.
I have a husband who works hard, very hard. And he's smart too, boy is he smart! He picked me remember? ;) 
I have a roof over my head. It doesn't leak. I like that.
I have food in the cupboards. Yum.
I have two precious children. I miss them when they're at school.
I have one adorable red-headed little girl. She's amazing. She's never met a stranger.
I have one handsome blonde little boy. He's amazing. He's always makes me smile.
I have great parents, they're in Minnesota, I wish we were closer.
I have great in-laws, they're in Minnesota too, I'm glad I'll get to see them soon.
I have a whole bunch of siblings. (They're great too.) They're in MN, MI, WA and OR. Not close enough.
I have two neices and I have a whole bunch of nephews.
I have friends.
I have great friends.
I have great neighbors.
I have great neighbors who are great friends.
I have an awesome ginormous extended family.
I have two grandparents who are still living, they're unbelivable, they belong in my "hero" category.
I have an awesome stash of fabric waiting for my "sewer's block" to go away. Uh, ahem... think "writer's block" for sewing, not plumbing. :)
I have a huge pile of pretty magazines to look at.
I have a great Church family.
I have heroes that live in my community. You know, people that I want to be like when I grow up. You should meet them, they're amazing.
I have a dvr with all sorts of decorating and reality shows just waiting on lil' ole me.
I have a really soft bed. I like it.
I have a yard that has a flat space that's big enough to play volleyball. (This feature was high on my wish list when we were shopping for a home, flat yards are hard to come by in the Pacific Northwest. A flat yard is very comforting for this flat-land-Midwestern-girl.)
I have bunch of pretty blogs in my google reader just waiting for me to drool over.
I have a bunch of pretty things like old crates, quilts, gameboards and enamelware to look at.
I have a bunch of old things.
I have a bunch of pretty projects that I'll do "someday". Not today, but someday.
I have a house that loves to be re-modeled. I mean thank goodness, right?
I have a blog where I can write whatever I want, whenever I want and somehow that gives me joy.
I have a rascally mutt of a dog who redeems himself with his adorable underbite of a grin.
I have 3 waddling ducks who remind me to wash my sidewalk.
I have a cat, we'll just leave it at that.
I still have a bit of a Minnesotan accent, so I'm told. "How the heck are ya, anyways?" :)
I have Minnesota, and it has me.
I have a drawer full of cupcake papers, they're nice, they always make room for more. Same with the cupboard full of sprinkles, they're very welcoming.
I have boxes full of photographs waiting (patiently) to be organized.
I have a riding lawn mower, is it summer yet? I could really go for a ride.
I have a bathtub to soak in and did I mention the magazines?
I have a garage to store all the junk that I love and all of the "someday" projects.
I have a house for my kids to grow up in.
I have a community that I love so much that I hope I'll never leave. I'm planted here.
I have a party shed so I can invite my neighbors over. I like that.
I have a yard that will keep me busy for years, once I acknowledge that it exists, that is. 
I have 4 quilts waiting (very patiently) to be finished.
I have dinner in the crockpot.
I have so much.
I have love.
I have laughter.
I have joy.
I have hope.
I have Jesus.
I have peace.

Life isn't always super dreamy and that's okay. Sometimes it just feels good to focus on the good things, the pretty things, the odd things and the happy things.   (We've been sick a lot this winter, the man and the boy have been knocked down a couple times, but me and the girl... it seems like we have caught everything, it's been a long winter, thank goodness spring is just around the corner, for us in the Northwest anyways... hang in there Minnesota!)

I love a good deal!

I am by no means a coupon expert, in fact, I'm just getting started. Yeah, I'm kinda late in the game, but I'm hoping the wisdom of "better late, than never" applies here. I can't help but feel like I must be missing "THEE awesome coupon website" or "THEE awesome coupon blog"

So, here are the "Deal/Coupon" Websites I have subscribed to, the deals are emailed on a regular basis.
http://www.livingsocial.com/
http://www.groupon.com/
http://www.eversave.com/
http://www.plumdistrict.com/

And, I don't have a lot of blogs in my "Coupon" folder on my Google Reader yet, but here's what I have so far... I must be missing THEE best ones, I can just feel it...
http://thehappyhousewife.com/
http://moneysavingmom.com/
http://freebies4mom.com/
http://myfrugaladventures.com/

Oh, and I'm sure everyone is using this by now, but just incase there are any late bloomers out there (like me) it's called Amazon Mom and it's basically "Amazon Prime", for free. It's the best thing ever! I love the free two-day shipping! It's perfect for when you live in the boonies like I do. Oh, and they said it's for "caregivers" too. You don't have to be a mom to take advantage of this offer; dads, grandparents, aunts, etc. they thought of you too.

As a child from a family of 10 kids, it was a treat to get to go along with my mom and her cousin Julia on one of their all-day rummaging saling trips to Fargo, ND. A couple of kids would get to go each time, we had to take turns - because there was a ton of us! The trip usually involved an appointment with a Medical Specialist of some sort. One time when I got to go, my cousin Reece got his cast removed/replaced... oh, it was something to do with a cast and a broken limb and it was cool. There was usually a crayon-melting incident, you know those cute little boxes of 4 crayons... well, they would melt on the dash or side windowsill of the car, I remember being so sad about losing my crayons to the sun. Now that I'm a parent, I'm can only imagine what Mom and Julia were thinking. Yikes! And we could almost always count on having lunch at the "Royal Fork", because I'm sure it was a really good deal! They had the biggest salad bar ever, oh I can almost taste the sunflower seeds and chopped up boiled eggs, oh and the western dressing, don't forget the western dressing (I'm pretty sure ranch dressing was way too exotic for our taste).  Anyways, we'd come home with a station wagon full of clothes and shoes, spread them all over the living room and have a hay day sorting them all out. It was like Christmas, in the summer, with no wrapping paper but we really had to finish sorting because there really was "hay" to make! Oh, who am I kidding, I was a middle child, I only had to help "unload" the hay wagons, there were plenty of "big kids" around to "make the hay".

So, getting a good deal is in my blood, from having to stretch a dollar out of necessity to having to stretch a dollar out of wisdom. My kids are doomed, with a combination of Aho, Tumberg, Isaacson, and Lundby blood, they will surely have to learn how to find a good deal, or better yet, hopefully it's in their blood. I can testify to the Aho-Tumberg frugality, but I'll have to leave the Isaacson-Lundby frugality for my husband to tell, it really deserves it's own post. I've heard the stories (they're good) and I've seen the evidence (it's good). It's impressive, I tell ya, impressive. If only I had an ounce of "business-sense" like they do... oh, that's right, it's in the blood so, at least my children will have it. I'm comforted.

So, the only "good deal" that I took advantage of today was from http://www.plumdistrict.com/ it's a $10.00 Papa Murphy's gift card for $5.00. Click here for the deal. I just love a good deal!

Best truffles ever!

Erik brought home the most amazing chocolates last night. They were unbelievable! Oh, my mouth is watering just thinking about them! I'd show you a picture, but they didn't stick around long enough for a photo, they're camera-shy, yeah that's it... :)  So, I guess if they're good enough for Oprah, they're certainly good enough for me!  And she's right, bite into them slowly and savor every morsel.

You can go here to read more about them. And here to see what Oprah says about them. Teuscher, that's the name. Erik brought home 4 Champagne Truffles, the mini-ones, (only available in the store) and at $78.00/lb (that's $7.00 for our 4 mini-truffles) ..well... frankly, I felt a little like Oprah as I savored my two mini-truffles.



These are the full-sized truffles, we had the mini-version.


Erik's being so kind, bringing me so many nice things home, I wonder if blogging about them is a way to keep them coming, first the burlap coffee bags and now these amazing chocolates. The bar is raised pretty high, but I know you can do it honey, you love a challenge!

"The Story of a French Boy's Life" by Elena age 10

Bonjour, my name is Perri, I am a French citizen. I was sent to America to flee from my family's enemy's. They were going to kidnap me but word got to my parents. So my parents sent me to the safe country of America. I was enrolled as a foreign exchange student as cover. My exchange parents were nice but sometimes I missed my real parents. One day when I was hanging out with my new friends a black car with tinted windows and no licence plates stopped right next to us. Someone grabbed me and thrust me in to the car. I felt a tiny jab and every thing went black. When I woke up I was in a small cell-like room with no windows and one door that was locked (I checked).  The contents of the room were a lumpy cot, a TV and some water. I was so nervous and hot, I must have been in there for days walking back and forth from one wall to anther. Finally, I decided the water was safe to drink. But I was wrong, the minute I drank the water I felt a little woozy then suddenly I blacked out again. When I woke up I was in a hospital bed, as I looked around I realized that other people were in the room. I saw my parents, my honest to goodness birth parents, and my friends I was hanging out with before I was kidnapped. Later after I was checked out of the hospital my parents explained everything to me. As soon as my friends saw me being whisked away they had called 911 and after that they called my host parents. Soon my birth parents were notified, about two days after I had blacked out for the second time, the police found the bad guys lair and arrested them. I was in pretty bad shape when they found me so the police took me to the hospital and the doctors treated me. Now that I was safe from my family's enemies, my parents took me home to France. Every now and then, I visit my friends in America.  The End.               

By   Elena M. Lundby  

By Deacon, age 8

I like hotdogs.
I like to eat them.
I also want to try to throw them at targets.
I wonder if they would work good in a bow and arrow?
It takes 1 minute to cook them in the microwave.

"Would you like a hot dog?"

Lessons Learned

Apparently if while videoing your kids ice skating you switch the camera to your wife. A smile does not necessarily indicate she likes it. If she then says "your going to make me fall, and proceeds to fall" a smile does not indicate that she appreciates the fact that you are capturing this event for posterity. If you have made all these mistakes and want to keep the smile on your wife's face as long as possible, it is best not to turn off the video camera.

My long weekend by Elena

This last weekend my family and I went ice skating. We went to a portland mall, they had an ice rink there. I started out not so good but, by the end (soaking wet from falling down so much) I was pretty good. After ice skating we went out for dinner. After we ate we went to our hotel. After we got unpacked we went swimming. We swam for four hours then had a smoothie. After that we went to bed. The next morning we swam some more, packed and then we left the hotel. After we left we went shopping and my mother bought me an awesome sewing machine case for only $8 after shopping we had lunch then after lunch we headed home.

Pizza by Deacon, age 8

I like pepperonithat'sit pizza.

Note from the editor: Deacon asked how to spell pepperoni, so I spelled it for him, he asked what comes after "i" and I said, "that's it". 

Burlap coffee bags!

I'm so excited! My hubby is bringing me some burlap coffee bags! I think that's just what I need to get those stagnant creative juices flowing again! Pillows, totebags... oh, I better clear the dining table and set up my sewing machine!

We ran away!

Feeling like we needed a fresh perspective on life, we packed up the kids, ourselves and even the dog and we ran away for a couple of days.

We utilized two great websites. 
Hotwire.com - We selected; 3 1/2 stars, a pool and near the airport. That got us a comfortable room at the Sheraton with a 24 hour pool, hot tub and sauna.

Restaurant.com - $2.00 for a $25.00 gift certificate. We got to try two different Mediterranean Restaurants in Portland. One was Greek food and the other was Syrian. Both were delicious!
*Tip: Wait until there is an 80 or 90% off sale to buy coupons. Yes, they go that low!

And we all went Ice Skating at the Ice Chalet at Lloyd Center. This was our kids first time on ice skates, they started out pretty shaky but by the end, they were asking when we could come back again. "How about tomorrow?"  Erik and I have skated in our youth. It all came back to Erik, me... not so much. I really enjoyed it, I have to admit I skate like an old lady, but I was really excited to be ice skating again. Once I got over the fear terror of falling I relaxed a bit. I was "comforted" to learn that falling doesn't hurt as bad as it did as a kid. I know, it's such a strange phenomenon, oh, the ice was probably softer, we were indoors so the temperature was a balmy 70 degrees, everything hurts more in the frigid outdoors of Minnesota, yep, I'm sure that's what it was, I'm sure it had nothing to do with all of the extra cushioning that I now have. ;)

Father and Son

Daddy and Daughter

I'm skating, I'm really skating!

All ready to hit the pool!

The kids in the "Hurricane Simulator". They loved it!

Erik and Greta

Deacon

I'm Deacon, I like to bother Elena. She's into some books that I don't like. I got some glasses like a day or two ago. I like playing video games. One time I caught two eels in Rapala Wii Fishing Game. And there's one fish that looks awfully weird.

~ Deacon

Elena

Hi, my name is Elena. I am ten years old and I love horses and reading, so in this blog I will tell you some books I like. I loved the King of the Wind, such an enthralling book about a young slave boy in Arabia who takes his beloved horse to France and gets an amazing adventure. King of the Wind is a must read, that is my opinion. I also like to sew and I'll show you some of the things I make.
~Elena

The Lundby Hive

We thought we'd try one of those, "everybody squish together and somebody stretch out your arm as far as you can photos" with the four of us. Needless to say, it got a little giggly! :)

 That's us, just the four of us who make up the "Lundby Hive".